‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ star talks ’90s setting, Pete Davidson’s Mirage and post-credits twist

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Starring in a Transformers movie was more than meets the eye for actor Anthony Ramos.

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The 31-year-old, best known for his starring role in Broadway’s Hamilton and the big-screen adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights, grew up playing with the popular Hasbro toys and watching the Beast Wars: Transformers Saturday morning cartoons in the ’90s.

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One of his first toys was the Stingray Transformer, one of the characters from the Beast Wars storyline that inspires the new Transformers movie — Rise of the Beasts.

“I watched Beast Wars growing up and it was one of my favourite shows as a kid,” Ramos says in a video call from New York City.

But Ramos was also in awe of getting a chance to travel back to the 1990s, which is the time period Rise of the Beasts takes place.

“I think it’s a special moment in time — the ‘90s,” he says. “There was a certain style back then, rocking Timberlands and Sergio Tacchini.”

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Set in 1994, and a direct sequel to 2018’s Bumblebee, this seventh Transformers film, which precedes five previous entries from filmmaker Michael Bay, is steeped in nostalgia with its references and a soundtrack that includes Notorious B.I.G.’s Hypnotize and Black Sheep’s The Choice is Yours.

“The first trailer that came out with Juicy by Notorious B.I.G. was iconic for me,” Ramos says. “I couldn’t believe I was watching a trailer for Transformers and Notorious B.I.G. is coming through the speakers. That whole era was legendary.”

Ramos plays Noah Diaz, an ex-military man who, along with a novice archeologist (Dominique Fishback), gets drawn into a new battle between warring alien robots after he hotwires a wisecracking silver Porsche named Mirage (voiced by Pete Davidson) in a botched attempt to help his sickly little brother (Dean Scott Vazquez).

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“His feelings of wanting to help his brother is a new element that sets this one apart (from previous movies),” Ramos says.

Directed by Steven Caple Jr. (Creed II), the new entry pairs the Autobots with the Maximals as they team up against the Scourge-led Terrorcons and the planet-eating Unicron.

Peter Cullen returns to voice Optimus Prime in a diverse cast that also includes Ron Perlman, Michelle Yeoh, Michaela Jae Rodriguez, Colman Domingo, Cristo Fernandez and Game of Thrones alum Peter Dinklage as the villainous Terrorcon, Scourge.

“Scourge is the biggest villain we’ve seen. He’s bigger than Megatron. Seeing how sadistic Scourge is when he kills; he’s a menace. Peter Dinklage is amazing,” Ramos says.

While Ramos never acted opposite Davidson on set, he thinks his voice work in Rise of the Beasts will make Mirage a new fan favourite.

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“This is a nice continuation from Bumblebee. We left Bumblebee with this beautiful, emotional arc that I think was executed so beautifully by Hailee Steinfeld. So it’s cool to continue that and take the spirit of that movie along with the ginormous big feeling in this new way that feels new and fresh,” Ramos says. “Optimus Prime has been the main character for a long time, so it’s nice to have a new centrepiece with Mirage — and Pete Davidson is amazing. When I went in and heard some of the new lines he added, I was like, ‘He’s perfect.’ He makes Mirage such an exciting character and an exciting focal point.”

Of course, the scene Ramos was most excited for — and the one fans will be talking about — comes in the film’s closing moments with a teaser that hints at a new crossover film with another popular toy line/movie franchise.

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“That scene got approved like three weeks ago,” Ramos says. “It took a lot of people to get that done, but I’m glad it was yeses all around. I was going crazy when I saw that.”

He doesn’t know what the future holds for the Autobots — or who they’ll be crossing paths with next, but there’s a lot of years to cover before the series eventually catches up with the story Bay began in 2007.

“It’s exciting. I’m hyped,” he says enthusiastically. ” Let’s expand this universe. Let’s make this as big as possible. Let’s make these the biggest Transformers movies anyone has ever seen. Let’s get these fans excited and give them something to look forward to.”

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is now playing in theatres.

mdaniell@postmedia.com

Twitter: @markhdaniell

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