Q: Working with Gwyneth?

TH: We've had a couple scenes but Gwyneth is hard to work with because she's so beautiful. You try not to flirt with her. You don't want to flirt but you're hoping somewhere in your heart, "I'm hoping she likes me. I'm hoping that she likes me and that she'll leave Coldplay to come and hang out with me." I've got two more pictures to work on her. Let him mess up.

Q: Have you met him?

TH: Nah.

Q: Working with Jeff Bridges?

TH: Oh, Jeff, he surprised me because he is so good at improvisation. He's so comfortable and just flows. He reminds me of Nick Nolte in that sense that they both just- - they've always been competing giants anyway, but he's like that and we went, one of the first times when we got together, he took me in his trailer and we smoked cigars and drank some vodka and played guitar for four hours after wrap. He's a brilliant musician, and a great songwriter. Jeff is beautiful and he kept giving me hints on how to play my character, which I loved.

Q: But you've been nominated for an Oscar.

TH: Yeah, but I think he's been nominated a few times, and I love his work. So for him to tell me- - Gwyneth has given me points. Same thing with Robert. We all do that. Then you know everybody's completely secure.

Q: Do we see the birth of war machine here?

TH: You read the comic book? If you read the comic book then you kind of know what happens, but you still have to wait because you all ain't taking away my next two movies. You're not taking my job. I like y'all, but man.

Q: Have you been able to get your dad out here?

TH: No, I just got my mom out here. My dad, he wanted me to buy him a boat so I told him to go build my house. Finish my house, he'll get his boat, then he can come out here.

Q: How'd your mom like it?

TH: She loved it because she always thought Robert Downey Jr. reminded her of my brother. She went up to him and hugged him like he was her son.

Q: Are we getting closer to the Academy recognizing comic book movies?

TH: Well, when you look at the stuff that Robert does in this movie, I mean at the end of every take, someone is applauding. Someone is applauding and I'm not talking about, "Good job." I'm talking about [claps]. He's brilliant. He is brilliant, so if anybody ever gets an academy nomination for a comic book, I think Robert might be one.

Q: Have you started thinking about next projects?

TH: Well, I just finished up my album and I've written my own movie called Hold on Tight which I'm about to go into preproduction on. There's a lot of stuff that's offered out there, but sometimes you just kind of- - all these are safe jobs. They're the safe things to keep me there and you stop being an artist. You go from being an artist to a celebrated artist to just a celebrity.

Q: What's Hold on Tight?

TH: When I was doing the film Hustle and Flow, I wrote a song beyond the other rap songs that I didn't want to put my name on. I should have because I would have had an Oscar, but I wrote a song called Hold on Tight. Then I wrote a movie around it. That's the basis of it, a father and daughter that's been apart and he's a songwriter. She's spending the summer with him and learning how to write songs herself. It's really an honest movie. An honest movie.

Q: Thinking of directing it?

TH: Yeah, I'm directing it.

Q: So that's next?

TH: Yes.

Q: Do you have a cast?

TH: I'm in it. I've got a lot of friends that say they want to be in it. They kind of encouraged me to do it so we'll see. We'll see who signs the paper.

Q: Is it easier to get financing now?

TH: It's great but they want you to promise- - they'll give me the money to direct it, they'll give me the money to star in it, but they want to make sure that they can tie me into a couple of their projects later on down the line. There's always these attachments to it, but the best thing that happened with this movie is it's a company called Apollo Diamond. They contacted me after they found out I was doing the movie. They said they had a way. They're growing diamonds and there's a way to make the suit smaller to where- - and it's true. They're actually growing these huge diamonds in wafers. I don't know if any of you guys are aware of them. Look up Apollodiamond.com. That's the best thing that happened because they didn't go public so I was able to jump in and get a great investment too.

Q: Been paying attention to the fan community?

TH: I mean, what I keep seeing the most is what they're waiting for is what I'm sure a lot of you guys are waiting for. Will Iron Man follow the full course that the character did, because you gotta remember when the comic book came out, to have a character that was an alcoholic and all of that and all those troubles, that was a big thing in the '70s. So is that here? Do you see that in this movie or not? To see troubled people, all those things? All that is what they've been asking. I'm glad that they're concerned and I can't wait for them to come and see the movie and find out what happens. That's what I just try to do, encourage them. I think this may end up being one of Marvel's best movies because they were able to stay true because they were doing it themselves.

Q: Talk about your character?

TH: Well, my character is a young man that grew up in the military, went to college as a result of the military. Father was in the military, grandfather was in the military. So I am truly a son of the USA. Sometimes a son wants to leave home just to venture out, but then he always makes his way back. That's my character.

Q: Coolest thing you’ve done action-wise?

TH: One day when we were up in Lone Pine, the freeway, I don't remember, the 14 freeway was blocked because there's all this wind coming down. So they blocked it off. I've got to be on set. Set is about 20 miles away. I know we've got the Department of Defense working with us. There's an Air Force base nearby. So I'm like, "I'm not going to make it to work for the next two hours." And I called them, and I was like calling the Air Force and tell them to send a helicopter for me. They sent it. I got to arrive on set with this huge- - we landed on top of a sand dune. That was the coolest thing.

Q: When you stepped out, did you have sunglasses and looking cool?

TH: I had the whole thing. I had the whole thing. And saluted as they flew off.

Q: What is the deal with your album?

TH: It's incredible. That's all I- - it really is. It's the best thing I've ever accomplished in my life. I wrote and produced everything on it and if you guys get some time, I'll let you all come by the car and listen to a couple of the tracks. I know you've got some other people to do in here but I'm going to be here for a little bit.

Q: Any collaborations?

TH: No, I just wanted to do it myself. Because you've got to. I want to throw the first punch. If I get knocked out, then somebody else jump in and help me.

Q: How do you describe the music?

TH: It's cinematic sound. That's the only way. You come out to the car and you'll hear it.

Q: Will you be on this soundtrack?

TH: Of this movie? I'm like y'all, I'm waiting to see. I'm waiting to find out. 

Q: Gotta wrap him.

TH: Wish I could tell you more. I'm in the parking lot.

And if this interview wasn’t enough for you…here’s some links to interviews I did at last year’s Comic-Con for “Iron Man.”

Jon Favreau Comic Con interview, Robert Downey Jr. Comic-Con interview, Kevin Feige - the President of Production at Marvel interview, Gwyneth Paltrow and Terrance Howard. Finally, if you want to see some images of the Mach 1 from Comic Con, click here.