The Hollywood red carpet premiere for one of the most anticipated films of the year, Iron Man 3, takes place tonight (April 24, 2013) and ahead of the big evening, several of the cast's stars gave their thoughts on what has still be a largely-guarded secret. There's well over half an hour of footage for you tuck into below, including interviews with Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall and, of course, Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr and his shady nemesis for the third instalment, Sir Ben Kingsley - who plays The Mandarin. 

Robert Downey talks Iron Man 3

What's exciting about listening to the various actors talk about the movie, is that they all seem to be coming from different perspectives on it. So you've got Don Cheadle talking up the action side of it, reassuring the interviewer that audiences are going to get all the "bells and whistles" you'd expect from a film about a Marvel comic strip, and indeed that we've come to expect from previous Iron Mans. But then you've got Sir Ben Kingsley, Oscar winner and hugely respected thespian, praising the plot for its complexity, insisting that just because it fits neatly in the action genre, it won't be "insulting" its audience with anything too simple. In fact, listen to Gwyneth and Don and they admit they didn't even understand the script first off! We're not sure whether you should take that as a good thing or bad thing, but at least it shows ambition in the writing of Drew Pearace and Shane Black, and testament to the original Stan Lee comics. 

Gwyneth Paltrow ahead of the Iron Man 3 premiere

The biggest thrill for most of the actors was getting to work with Ben Kingsley, though for Gwyneth Paltrow they never managed to share a scene together, something she was gutted about. "An old hand" he was described as by Guy Pearce, with respect shown by all the actors to his iconic presence on set. As for him though, he was just as delighted to be involved with younger talent, and praised director Shane Black for allowing the actors freedom to express themselves during the shooting. 

Sir Ben Kingsley talks Iron Man 3

Guy Pearce explained his character Killan as being "a bit like a rocket that's out of control... He added the psychology behind the character was really exciting." Downey Jr meanwhile commented on the human element of Tony Stark, and explained how his character was evolving and changing through the films, making him much more easy for the audience to empathise with. He was a super hero, but one who had the same flaws as everyone else.

Don Cheadle Iron Man 3 Chat 

Gwyneth Paltrow meanwhile spoke of how much work she'd put in physically for her character Pepper Potts, explaining that she'd become more than just a supplicant in the film; Pepper, she pointed out, was far more formidable and confident in her own right. Frustratingly though, though they talked at length about the film, there was very little given away about the plot - though we still expect some almighty showdown between The Mandarin and Iron Man. There's a trailer below which gives a little further glimpse, but it's not too long now before you can see the whole thing yourself, when it gets released in the US on May 3rd. 

Guy Pearce and Rebecca Hall on Iron Man 3

Check out the Iron Man 3 Trailer