LOS ANGELES — In Marvel’s upcoming film “Thunderbolts*,” the action feels real – because for the cast, it was.

Director Jake Schreier leans heavily into practical filmmaking, which means more real sets, and most notably, actors doing their stunts. Schreier’s vision was to make everything feel tangible, visceral – something the audience can truly feel.

Lewis Pullman, who plays Robert Reynolds, embraced the challenge, saying, “Doing your own stunts is awesome as an actor, that’s always a gift because everything feels real around you.”

Florence Pugh, who leads the cast as Black Widow, shares how adamant she was about being thrown off the second-tallest building in the world.

“I just kept on pushing, email after email….Dear Kevin, I need to be thrown off the tallest building in the world and then they couldn’t say no because I’m so annoying.”

The cast says the result is a film where punches land harder, falls feel real and the performances carry the weight of actual experience.

Hannah John-Kamen spoke to the impact of that effort: “There’s heart, there’s comedy, there are intimate moments – and it all feels earned because we were in it.”

“Thunderbolts*” hits theaters May 2.

The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of Marvel Studios, Disney+, Hulu and ABC station.