‘Fantastic Four’ family eager to rush to each other’s aid

It’s 11 a.m. on a Sunday. Do you know where your slightly dysfunctional superhero family is lurking?

They’re not attending church, sleeping in or saving the world.

The Fantastic Four are bonding in a group interview as Pedro Pascal — aka Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic — discusses superhero mental health.

Yes, not even Mr. Fantastic feels like Mr. Pretty Good all the time.

“At the core, Reed is incredibly codependent. His identity is linked to his family,” Pascal says. “He needs to find a way to express what burdens him, but he’s perplexed at why the people around him aren’t catching up as quickly. His mind works so fast that he will see a thing and think, “OK, I have to explain it to you.’ ”

Isn’t there one of those in every family?

But this isn’t just any family gathered around Pascal, who’s joined by his cast mates in “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” out this weekend: Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch) and Julia Garner (Silver Surfer).

The comic book adventure is set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retrofuturistic world where Marvel’s first family dwells. They must balance life as heroes with family issues and defending the planet from a ravenous space creature called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic herald, Silver Surfer.

During a break from superheroics, the four shared their good life advice:

Life’s surprises

Pascal says an odd thing happened to him while waiting to see if he nabbed the role in “Fantastic Four” as the leader of the group who can stretch his body into incredible lengths and shapes. “I went on a walk that changed the course of my life in a very sudden way,” he shares. “Basically, I was with one of my best friends, and I was talking about the role of Mr. Fantastic. Would I get it? All of a sudden, this charming little girl very aggressively started to sell me lemonade from a lemonade stand.

“I was so charmed when I heard this voice saying, ‘What are you doing here?’ I look up and it’s Matt Shakman (‘Fantastic Four’ director),” he adds. “This was his daughter! This was literally the Sunday after he and I had met to talk about the project. … I left there and my friend said, ‘I think you’re doing this movie.’ ”

Find the fantastic

Kirby says breaking barriers in life is key. “It’s so exciting to have a pregnant superhero who becomes a working mother. And it was surreal to shoot,” she says. “I had this pregnancy bump on, and I was also this complex, fierce, loving hero. She can burp a baby and be a superhero. Now, that’s a nice message.

“This was such a combination of domesticity and an intergalactic epic. We wanted to tell a story about two parents and the fears they have for their baby who is coming, which is such a normal thing. You can find the normal in the fantastic.”

Second chances

Pascal’s Mr. Fantastic goes through ups and downs in the film and must deal with being a first-time dad. “My favorite thing about it was playing this person who is so brilliant and so comfortable with figuring out the most complex science equations to create solutions for absolutely everything,” he says. “He’s super smart, but not so savvy when it comes to human interactions. Like so many of us, he reads the room incorrectly at first, but there is hopefully a second chance. You should look for the second chances in life.

“He has to come to understand the world and much more complex equations of family, love, growing in a family, relationships and love. How can he be a partner and a friend?”

Share the burden

Moss-Bachrach says filming a giant summer movie is like taking on any big project with others at your side. “Making a movie is a trauma bonder,” he says. “You’re pushing a boat over a mountain over many hours and many days. If you’re very lucky you have great people around you and can share the work, the joy, the easy and tough days. And if you’re very lucky, you want to hang out when it’s over.”

Take a chance

Moss-Bachrach, star of “The Bear,” was nervous about taking on a comic book role. “I had some anxiety and nerves at first,” he acknowledges. How does he push past those feelings? “It’s like anything else: You just have to do it. All of a sudden, I’m looking into the eyes of another actor, and I was right there. There was an immediacy that was so freeing.

“Those are the moments where you’re so glad that you took that chance.”

Garner had her own pulse-pounding moments to conquer. “My first day on set, I was terrified because it was probably the craziest first day I ever had on a job,” she says. “I was 30 feet up in the air, on wires. There was a construction crane, and I was up there with an earpiece in, taking direction. It was wild. In those moments, you can decide to be afraid or just have fun with it. I went for the fun. Always a good choice.”

Know your priorities

In the end, Pascal says he gravitates toward a line in the movie that sums it all up for him: “ ‘Hold your loved ones close.’ It’s a great message … and you can start today,” he says.