Michael Shannon talks General Zod in ‘Man of Steel’ and Henry Cavill says he needed to study
The new Total Film magazine features Heroes and Villains with an amazing Man of Steel cover. Inside the cast discusses the film, star Henry Cavill reveals his Superman prep and Michael Shannon talks Zod. Below is a pair of the new photos from this magazine.
Michael Shannon, the actor cast as Superman’s archenemy General Zod, has a measured opinion of the character. “He’s not a villain,” Shannon said. “He’s not a villain any more than any other general fighting to protect his people. He doesn’t like to just hurt people and steal diamonds. He’s focused on being successful at his job.”
Shannon continued, praising the original portrayal of Zod by Terence Stamp.
“I think the way Terence Stamp approached it, and this isn’t any kind if criticism of his performance, there was something kind of detached about it. Pure hatred, rage, whatever. I think this [characterization] is more ambiguous.”
Additionally, star Cavill revealed that his boarding school childhood sheltered him from exposure to Superman.
“Having gone to boarding school, I didn’t have a comic-book store nearby,” the British actor.
“But as soon as I was cast in the movie, that’s when I got my full, real introduction to Superman. I managed to piece together this character, maintaining that baseline and having all differences and nuances that our script adds. This is our own thing, Stand-alone. It’s about Superman, but we’re not copying from any one comic book in particular. And that’s a good thing, because its an origin-story.”
Man of Steel arrives June 14, 2013.
