'Guardians Of The Galaxy 3' Star Pom Klementieff On Mantis, Music & An 'Emotional' Goodbye

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 star Pom Klementieff says she's thankful that director James Gunn and the rest of the cast got to say goodbye on their own terms, because there was a moment when it almost didn't happen.

The Guardians franchise was always meant to be the final movie in a trilogy, but there was a time when director James Gunn almost didn't get to finish the series himself. That came back in 2018 when a series of old tweets pushed Marvel to nearly fire the director, only to change gears when the Guardians cast insisted that he stay or they'd walk.

Fast-forward a few years and not only did Gunn get to finish his story, but he also got to squeeze in a Disney+ holiday special before taking over the full DC superhero slate over at Warner Bros.

Gunn likely would never have made the switch if not for that "will he stay or will he go" moment in 2018. However, for Mantis actress Pom Klementieff, she wouldn't have had it happen any other way.

"It's the trilogy as James Gunn imagined it," she told Narcity during a recent interview. "It was his beautiful vision of the characters (...) It's beautiful because they all connect in such a deep way, and they all kind of save themselves by being together and sticking with each other."

It was that same "stick together" attitude in real life that drove the cast to fight for Gunn in 2018, and now they finally get to say goodbye on their own terms.

Klementieff says there was a moment of the set of Guardians Vol. 3 when everyone realized that the ride was coming to an end, and things got "very emotional" as they came to grips with the idea.

"We all just looked at each other and thought it might be the last time we play the characters together," she said. "It was beautiful."

Klementieff joined the franchise as the emotion-manipulating Mantis in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, before revisiting the character in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.

She then teamed up with Gunn and the rest of the crew for last year's Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special, which saw Mantis and Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) set out to capture Kevin Bacon as a Christmas present for their pal Peter Quill (Chris Pratt).

"This is Mantis' true debut as her full-fledged self in the MCU," Gunn wrote on Instagram last year, while sharing a pic of Klementieff done up like an alien Christmas tree. "I think you'll all see why she's one of my favorite characters, why she & Drax are such a great duo, & why she's going to be such a big part of Vol 3."

Gunn was as good as his word. Mantis and Drax share a ton of screen time in Guardians Vol. 3, and Klementieff says she really enjoyed the chemistry the two characters have developed over time.

"I love the dynamic between Mantis and Drax," she said. "It's so sweet to play. It's so funny. They're just buddies! And yeah, sometimes (Drax) calls her horrible names, but he's just funny."

Klementieff also gave Narcity a peek behind the scenes around the Guardians Of The Galaxy mixtapes, which have become one of the most beloved parts of the franchise.

"Music is such an important part of the movie, and it's so amazing how James Gunn chooses each (song) for each moment," she said.

The actress adds that Gunn will write the songs right into his scripts so that everyone can get a sense of the tone for each scene.

"And then before starting to shoot the movie he sends us a mixtape, a playlist with all the sings in the movie," she said.

"We just listen to the music, dream about the scenes and then shoot."

Klementieff has already hinted that she'll follow Gunn over into the DC movie universe, perhaps after her next appearance in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I.

However, that doesn't mean her time as Mantis is done. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 leaves the door open for some of its characters to return, whether it's Mantis or newcomer Will Poulter, who plays beloved Marvel hero Adam Warlock.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Sean Gunn, Will Poulter, Maria Bakalova and Chukwudi Iwuji.

You can catch it in theatres everywhere on May 5.