‘Shazam!’ star Zachary Levi plays another kind of hero in NFL movie

It’s noon astatine LA Comic Con successful Los Angeles. Do you cognize wherever Shazam! is? He’s really lasting adjacent to the pistillate successful fishnets and a thong accompanied by a feline who believes that helium is Batman.

Actor Zachary Levi, who plays the above-mentioned exclamation-pointed superhero, has ne'er looked much comfortable. These are his peeps. “I emotion mixing with the fans who speech to maine astir different holiday,” said Levi, wearing a bladed parka and jeans, skipping past Christmas and looking up to 2022. “They archer maine they’ve seen ‘Shazam’ truthful galore times that it’s similar Groundhog Day astatine their house.”

Levi, 41, is champion known for bringing a small wit to the DC Universe successful his deed 2019 film. A rabid pursuing besides remembers him from the TV bid “Chuck” and for playing Fandral successful 2 of the “Thor” films, positive Dr. Benjamin Ettenberg connected “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”

The Ventura, California autochthonal is showing his melodramatic chops these days successful the vacation movie “American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story.” Levi plays Warner successful the communicative of the NFL MVP and Hall of Fame backmost who went from stocking shelves astatine a supermarket to becoming a shot superstar.

Next up for Levi is “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” retired successful 2023.

Review-Journal: What is simply a bully Sunday for you?

Zachary Levi: I emotion a Sunday successful L.A. I grew up successful Ventura. A large Sunday is going to Disneyland. I’m not kidding. Big kid here. I’ve gone possibly a zillion times, if we’re counting … which we are not, oregon possibly we are. Other Sunday joys: slumber late, a large breakfast, instrumentality the motorcycle retired for a spin. Maybe I’ll play a fewer video games. I’m a gamer.

How did you onshore “American Underdog? What was the propulsion of doing a superior drama?

It’s an unthinkable Cinderella communicative with a batch of obstacles successful his way. I’ve ever loved those underdog stories. The movie is similar 25 percent shot and 75 percent conscionable surviving beingness — meaning marriages, kids and scraping alteration retired of your car doors conscionable to enactment a small state successful the tank. A batch of america tin subordinate to the beingness portion of this movie. You don’t person to beryllium an NFL star.

Is determination an added work playing a existent idiosyncratic who is producing the movie and connected set?

He’s hovering implicit america now! I deliberation the astir important happening is to archer this communicative arsenic honestly and authentically arsenic possible, with the essence of the existent radical successful it. It was pugnacious due to the fact that this movie came unneurotic truly fast. I was fortunate to person a fewer days to conscionable Kurt. He was besides connected the set, which was pugnacious and scary. I tried to get immoderate of his shot mannerisms, similar his weird manus motions. My extremity was to bring each the bully things. And the happiest portion was, his kids were excited. I loved erstwhile I heard, “Oh, helium is doing Dad.”

What’s tougher: Playing a superhero oregon a feline successful shot pads?

I conscionable similar the leader portion of it. I’ll instrumentality both. Also, some of their outfits mean erstwhile I utilized the restroom, it was impeded successful immoderate way. But I’m not truly complaining. I pinch myself. So galore of my friends person Hollywood dreams that person not materialized. I made a truly bully movie astir a superhero and a truly bully movie astir a shot player. Both are inspirational naturally. Kurt’s shot communicative and his emotion communicative with his woman inspires. Look, I emotion playing superheroes. The geek successful maine could bash that each day. But arsenic a performer I anticipation to bash a bully woody for the world, and this 1 does it successful spades.

Why enactment successful the archetypal place? Were you that kid?

As a small 4-year-old kid I figured retired that I could intentionally marque radical laughter by conscionable being funny, truthful I tried to beryllium comic each the time. There I was, conscionable geeking the hellhole retired for friends and family. But it made sense. I figured this happening out. When I was adjacent younger, I would stumble into my laughs. I’m thinking, “What did I do?” This was rather antithetic astatine property 4. I was putting connected a show. It was planned. This was by choice. I learned I could marque radical consciousness bully with my nonstop antics. Later on, I began to bash the aforesaid happening for a living. And present to beryllium the superhero and deterioration my ain spandex is conscionable dream-come-true time.

What is the strangest portion of being Shazam!?

I person enactment figures. Come on! That’s conscionable stupid. The different unusual happening is the suit. I person a small codpiece successful beforehand truthful you tin spell fig 1 if needed. That’s helpful, yet strange. How galore others spell to enactment successful a azygous with a codpiece? And it’s necessary?

Will you spell backmost to your vocation successful music?

When Dua Lipa calls

How bash you consciousness astir Dwayne Johnson joining the DC Universe and playing Black Adam?

I deliberation it’s great. I anticipation the Black Adam movie rocks. Totally unintentional pun there, due to the fact that helium is The Rock. I bash anticipation that 1 time we travel to what I telephone “fisty cuffs,” but that’s mode supra my wage grade. I conscionable amusement up erstwhile they archer maine to amusement up. Like today.

Do you person a favourite film? Maybe thing you’ll ticker implicit Christmas?

If I had to take based connected however galore times I’ve seen it, well, past it’s “Forrest Gump.” Man, I retrieve I cried my damn eyes retired the archetypal clip I saw that movie astatine property 13. I was crying each done the credits. Weeping. Loudly. People were looking backmost astatine maine and my household wondering, “Are they hurting this kid successful enactment 10?” I conscionable loved him truthful much. The feline was bullied endless and helium inactive loved everybody. That is idiosyncratic who inspires maine to beryllium a amended man.

What’s next?

I’d emotion to marque a “Chuck” movie. I’m not kidding. A batch of “Chuck” fans miss it, and we near radical connected a spot of a cliffhanger. The amusement was designed to marque you consciousness good, and we could usage a small of that these days. Anyone who says elsewise, I’ll footwear their asses. Can you accidental that astatine Comic Con?