Michael Shannon Talks The Man of Steel - Continues Being Awesome
Thu, January 19, 2012 
Repeating the same studio-sanctioned stories over and over again about how the director and co-stars are wonderful, the script was so amazing that it was the dealmaker and how fun it was to make the movie. Michael Shannon is still new to this process.
If you've been following his comments to the press since joining The Man of Steel, then hopefully you found them as refreshing as I have. Shannon isn't being a snob or ungrateful for the opportunity playing Zod. He just doesn't sugar-coat everything and present it in a fashion to please the lowest common denominator of our nerd culture: the fanboys.
A culture that he tells Hero Complex baffles him:
"There are legions of fans salivating, who will literally spend the next year and a half looking at the clock, waiting for this movie. That's just the way it is. I don't know why. Me, personally, I'm not a huge fan. I can't even read comic books. I don't know which panel to look at next. I hardly ever know what any of the characters are talking about. So, no, I am not one of them. But there are a lot of them. They're out there. And they really want to talk to me about this movie!"
As you can guess, these honest answers can (and have) gotten feedback from his bosses to shut up:
"I got signaled that less is more. It’s kind of curious. It is Superman. So I think everybody kind of knows what happens, you know? Nothing’s going to be a huge shock."
He doesn't have the same pressure as new Superman Henry Cavill, who will tell everyone how much he loves the character and read the comic-books for research even if he didn't (Bombshell: people in showbiz do lie although I believe Cavill, in this case, is being sincere). Shannon's in a different position. One movie and he's out.
Come on, you really think Zod won't eat it at the end?
Reader Comments (1)
I don't even know why fans care if the actor reads the comic books, who gives a crap if they do. Its like its this big shock when an actor says they don't. To be honest a lot of comics are poorly written and very thin, not the best source for character material anyways.