Guardians Of The Galaxy 3's Miriam Shor Filmed A Musical Number As Recorder Vim
This post contains spoilers for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."
The third and final chapter of James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy" trilogy is a pretty somber movie. Between including a goodbye to several of the Guardians, exploring Rocket's (Bradley Cooper) tragic backstory in sob-inducing detail, and hinging its climax around the ruthless demolition of an entire planet, the movie definitely leans a little more towards deep emotion than levity. It's a gambit that works, but when two great comedic actors were on screen, I couldn't help but wish they had a few more jokes to work with.
The duo in question here is Miriam Shor and Nico Santos, two actors who play The High Evolutionary's (Chukwudi Iwuji) sometimes-scheming sidekicks. With their cyberkinetic enhancements, mad scientist outfits, and desperate need for moisturizer, Vim (Shor) and Theel (Santos) are more scary than funny. Yet the performers under the makeup are known for great comedic turns — as stylish and intimidating boss Diana in "Younger" and sassy retail worker Mateo in "Superstore," respectively. While Vim and Theel didn't get a surplus of funny moments on screen, Shor told Inverse that they did get the chance to get wild in an on-set musical number the pair created on the fly.
'That was our first day on the job'
Shor says she hit it off with Santos right away, so much so that the pair ended up plotting a random musical sequence during downtime on set. "Being ridiculous humans, I was thinking how hilarious it would be if our characters did a musical number, and we just started writing lyrics," she told the outlet. The song sounds fun, but it might not make it into the film's official deleted scenes anytime soon since it was apparently recorded via unorthodox means. "Then we did it for James, and he got his phone out and filmed it, and we were cracking up because it's so improbable," she shared. Gunn is known for sharing behind-the-scenes tidbits from his films on social media, so maybe the untitled Vim and Theel musical will still find its way to the public someday.
Even if it doesn't, it sounds like it was a really memorable on-set moment. "These two characters would be the last ones who would be in a musical — which is why it needs to happen," Shor told Inverse. She and Santos also spoke to ComicBook.com about the number, which they explain actually took place on their very first day on set. "I just wrote some silly lyrics, and then I made Nico perform it with me, and then [James] filmed it with his iPhone," Shor explained. "That was our first day on the job." As for the content of the musical number itself? "I do remember I wanted it to be Broadway-esque, but also theme songy from an '80s sitcom," she revealed, while Santos joked that he donned a top hat and grabbed a cane for the number.
The Guardians movies are musicals at heart
While the Vim and Theel song didn't make it to the official "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" soundtrack, Shor also spoke to Inverse about how the movies truly are all about music. "James has a really deep understanding of how music plays ties into our sense of story," she told Inverse, adding, "Whenever he plays a new song, you immediately are gripped by the emotion of the song, as well as the emotion of whatever the scene is." It's true: the "Guardians" soundtracks are famous for making hits out of decades-old classic rock tunes, and the new movie features what might be the most emotional needle drop in the whole MCU thanks to Florence + The Machine.
Shor's musical vision might have only been realized in the form of an iPhone video, but she still admires the "Guardians" movies as a sort of musical at heart. "He's basically doing a musical already, so I'm just helping him with an interstitial number," she joked. Hey, I'd watch it during an intermission! I could've used one to dry my tears.
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is now in theaters.