Asher Angel wants to meet Superman star Henry Cavill.
Shazam! is heading to theaters with the speed of mercury and excitement is ramping up. The film is based on one of DC’s more obscure characters and who’s very similar to Superman, but with one caveat: he’s a teenager in an adult body. In the comics, Shazam and Superman have some very iconic moments, and previously it was rumored that the studio wanted Henry Cavill to cameo in the Shazam! feature film.
Now we all know the controversy surrounding Henry Cavill and his Superman role, but it’s a cool think Shazam could meet Henry Cavill’s Superman. Superman isn’t likely to appear in Shazam! at the moment but Asher Angel really wants to meet Henry Cavill.
Back in April, we visited the set of Shazam! and as we watched a scene film, we waited for the film’s talent to come out and talk with us. The Asher Angel interview was the most interesting one. He was filming a few scenes that day so they needed him on set. They chose a different location to conduct his interview and it was directly on the steps to the Wizard’s chair in the Rock of Eternity. During the interview, Angel told us how much he wanted to meet Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot. You can check out his full comments below.
Question: Even for somebody my age the character is already a bit outdated and old fashioned, so what was it like finding out that you were going to be in a Shazam movie?
Angel: Oh man! It was the best feeling you could ever imagine. I was heading to the airport when I found out. It was just after my tests and they called my mom. I was in the restroom and I just came out screaming and I was really, really loud. It’s just a dream come true for me and I’m just super excited to be working on the movie.
Question: We asked Zach this and I just wanna hear your take on it: You’re both playing the same character, so can you talk about you and him finding the same take on the character?
Angel: Yes, you know it can be really hard when you’re really adult and you have to play a kid. And I think for us we really just have to have this really good bond and just be like best friends! I’ve gotten to know Zach really, really well. He’s just this really goofy, energetic guy and I just love him so much, and I think that really helps.
Question: The New 52 has come up a lot. Have there been any other comics you’d looked at to inspire your take on Billy?
Angel:I would say that’s really it. Immediately when I got the part I went to the comic store with my dad and did all this research on Billy and his character because this is huge. It’s life changing to me and I just wanted to get it exactly perfect.
Question: Even though Shazam is the title character have you thought about how you might get to be in other DC movies as Shazam? What’s that like?
Angel: It’s crazy! Ever since I was little I’ve been like, “I just want to be in a movie and go and see it with my friends.” Just to be in this movie is absolutely amazing and I’m so excited, and if there are more movies to come then heck yeah!
Question: Which DC star would you like to meet the most?
Angel: Gal Gadot is definitely one. Ben Affleck would be really, really cool. But I’m going to have to go with Henry [Cavill] though.
Question: Is it hard to pretend that you’re not a huge fan of superheroes as Billy?
Angel: Oh yeah, it’s definitely hard. Once you guys see the movie you’ll see there’s a couple of moments where it was so hard for me to just keep my composure.
Question: In the scenes we’ve seen and the source material for this story Billy has a little bit more of an edge, this sort of hard shell. But how do you balance that with whatever the qualities are that the Wizard sees in you to bestow these powers?
Angel: You know, he’s had a hard life. He lost his mom when he was really, really young and he’s basically just been searching for her his entire life. And once he meets this Wizard [laughs] he’s like, “Who’s this crazy guy? This guy’s crazy.” I think deeper into the conversation with the Wizard he finally realizes, “Woah! I actually mean something.” So I think that’s really just the turning point.
Question: The scene that you guys are just shooting, it’s early on and he’s leaving the house, so why does he want to do that?
Angel: He does not want to be with these people, he does not want to be here. He just wants his mom, that’s it. Just wants his mom.
Question: What’s been the most exciting scene for you to shoot so far?
Angel: Oh by far the Rock of Eternity stuff. The set’s amazing! I can’t believe I’m done with the Rock of Eternity, I’m never going to see it again… well I can’t say that yet [laughs] but definitely the Rock of Eternity.
Question: What’s it like to have to act as if you’re meeting a wizard? How did you find your motivation for that scene?
Angel: I think for me, Billy just gets transported to this crazy, crazy place and he doesn’t know where he is. Actually, I was telling my parents while I was doing the scene I was like, “Dad this is actually real cool for me because I feel like I’m here, it’s like I’m actually at the Rock of Eternity.” So when I meet this Wizard, it was actually really, really easy for me to just be scared and the emotions were just so easy to capture, so that was cool.
Question: Obviously in most of the big action scenes it’s Shazam, not Billy. Have you gone to watch any of that stuff or do you just take the day off?
Angel: I mean, I see some videos [laughs] I see some videos. I’ll start coming more, though.
What do you think of Asher Angel’s comments? Would you like to see Shazam! and Henry Cavill’s Superman meet on the big screen? Sound off in the comments section below!
We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s (Angel) case, by shouting out one word—SHAZAM!—this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard. Still a kid at heart—inside a ripped, godlike body—Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he’ll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Strong).
Directed by David F. Sandberg, Shazam! stars Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Grazer, Grace Fulton, Faithe Herman, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Cooper Andrews, Marta Milans, and Ron Cephas.
Shazam! will be released in theaters on April 5, 2019.