We recently sat down with Shazam! star Asher Angel and got to talking about various subjects, including how he was cast, how he’ll age as Billy Batson and his favorite moments on set.
Shazam! is currently the number one movie in the world and it deserves every coin it gets. The film is led by Zachary Levi and a cast of young actors and they definitely make Shazam! worthwhile. We recently had a chance to sit down with Shazam! star Asher Angel, who plays Billy Batson, and our conversation led to some cool discoveries.
Nathaniel Brail: What is your favorite and least favorite memory from shooting Shazam!?
Asher Angel: I think probably being with the cast. I got to spend four months in Toronto with these amazing people that I got to know and we really bonded. When we weren’t working, we’d go to the Raptors game or to the aquarium or the maple syrup factory. So we did all this fun stuff together. I really think it’s just spending time with the cast, so that’s really like a dream for me.
Nathaniel Brail: Who was the most fun to work with?
Asher Angel: You know most of my scenes were either by myself or with an adult. So it’s probably Jack [Dylan Grazer]. Some of my favorite scenes are the hallway stuff when we were at school. He’d always make me laugh. So most of that is just us improvising and just us making each other laugh. Those scenes always took so long because we were making each other laugh. So, yeah, definitely Jack.
Nathaniel Brail: Was it hard keeping secrets?
Asher Angel: Yeah! It was super hard. As soon as I was cast I had to wait like two weeks to tell anybody and it was the longest two weeks of my life and as soon as I was able to tell somebody I just went crazy. Thank god it was only two weeks because I wouldn’t have been able to keep that a secret any longer.
Nathaniel Brail: Who would you have liked to share more scenes with?
Asher Angel: I think it would’ve been cool, I know it’s not possible but, it would’ve been cool to shoot more scenes with Zach [Levi]. We worked together for the transformation. I would say Shazam and he would say Shazam and we would swap. Zach would be interesting to work with. He’s like a mentor and we learned a lot from him. But, I worked with Mark Strong and I had a couple of scenes with him. I would have loved to have more. He’s such a great guy. He’s awesome.
Nathaniel Brail: Did you guys pull any pranks or steal anything from the set?
Asher Angel: Lots of pranks on our set. Especially from Jack. There was a prank he pulled that involved baby powder so there was that and I took something home from the foster house.
Nathaniel Brail: Dwayne Johnson is going to face off with you and Zachary Levi as Black Adam. Who do you think will win that battle?
Asher Angel: Oh, come on. Black Adam! Nah, I’m just kidding. I mean they’re both the same. They’re literally like doppelgängers. But, good beats evil every time so that’s the only reason I’d say Shazam. I guess we’ll have to see.
Nathaniel Brail: Which DC Character would you like to see Shazam team up with?
Asher Angel: Oh, man. Anyone from the Justice League! Jason Momoa as Aquaman would be fun to work with. Henry Cavill. I would freak out if I got to work with any of those guys because they’re like a huge inspiration to me. So if that ever happened I’d probably fangirl pretty hard.
Nathaniel Brail: Who’s your favorite superhero?
Asher Angel: I grew up idolizing Superman. Superman was like big. That was my favorite superhero. I would dress up like him for Halloween.
Nathaniel Brail: Who’s your favorite Superman?
Asher Angel: Henry Cavill is my favorite Superman.
Nathaniel Brail: You’re right. Now, do you think they’ll have Billy age regularly though future Shazam! movies?
Asher Angel: I’d hope. Yeah. I’d think so… unless. I don’t know because it’d be weird. What if he’s like 18 and he says Shazam and you see Zach and I. I don’t know. We’ll see how that works out. That should be interesting.
Nathaniel Brail: When you get a little older is there another superhero you’d like to play?
Asher Angel: Hmmm. That’s a good question. That’s hard. I don’t know. I haven’t actually thought about it. Nightwing is pretty cool and of course, there’s Deadpool.
Nathaniel Brail: Did you take inspiration from any Shazam comic?
Asher Angel: I read all of the Shazam! comics, The New 52, I watched the old TV series. So I did a lot of research. I researched the script, comics and tried to get as much information as possible for the role.
Nathaniel Brail: Who would you cast as Batman?
Asher Angel: I would cast… I forgot his name. It’s driving me crazy. One second… this is who I would cast as Batman. I would cast Scott Adkins.
What do you think about Asher Angel’s answers? Have you seen Shazam! in theaters yet? Hit the comments section to discuss!
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 Jones. Here is the plot synopsis for Shazam!:
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).
Shazam is now playing in theaters!
Top Actors To Replace Ben Affleck In Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’
Ben Affleck is officially out as Batman and it’s a pretty sad day.
Words cannot describe how sad I am to see Ben Affleck announce that he’s no longer Batman. His Batman is why I do what I do. In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, I fell in love with his comic book-accurate interpretation of the Caped Crusader. It was a breath of fresh air and it felt like we finally had the one true Batman.
Three years have quickly sped by and we’re officially going to receive a new Batman for his next movie. Last night, Ben Affleck announced that he will not return as the Dark Knight in Matt Reeves’ The Batman and now everyone’s attention has moved towards wanting to know who the next Bruce Wayne will be. Matt Reeves is said to want an actor that’s around 20 years younger than Affleck while Warner Bros. wants someone older. My guess is that Reeves wants a fresh start while the studio wants an older actor for crossover potential.
In this list, I will discuss the actors I think can replace Ben Affleck as Batman using the parameters that Matt Reeves and Warner Bros. want. Hit Next to see our picks to play the Batman.
Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender is an X-Men alum and no stranger to comic book franchises. The actor has shown multiple levels of range and could definitely handle the Batman/Bruce Wayne personality. If they go with the older range for the next Dark Knight, then Fassbender is probably one of the best choices to take over the role.
Ben Barnes
Ben Barnes is out of a job after The Punisher season 2 and he’s one of the best actors in that series. The second season tied up Barnes’ arc on The Punisher and the actor has already told us that that he’d love to play the Caped Crusader. Barnes definitely has the pretty boy look going on for him and I wonder what his take on Bruce Wayne could be.
Ryan Gosling
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: Ryan Gosling needs to star in a superhero movie. I’ve always thought Gosling would make a great Batman. Every role that he’s done has shown us his capability and he could crush it as Bruce Wayne.
Jon Hamm
Jon Hamm is my top choice for an older Batman. If Warner Bros. wants to cast an older actor for crossover potential, Jon Hamm is the studio’s best bet. He has a similar look to Ben Affleck, and c’mon, the guy’s look just screams Bruce Wayne.
Armie Hammer
Armie Hammer is 32 years old and was cast as the Caped Crusader in George Miller’s Justice League: Mortal. That film will never see the light of day, but that doesn’t mean that Hammer doesn’t deserve a second shot at being the Batman. He’s charming, broody and will probably give his all for this role. Armie Hammer is a great option because he’s young enough for Matt Reeves and Warner Bros. could work in a way for him to crossover with the rest of the DC Extended Universe.
Richard Madden
Game of Thrones alum Richard Madden is my top choice to replace Ben Affleck as Batman. The actor is young, has the look and definitely has the acting chops to play the duality of Batman and Bruce Wayne. Madden just won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television series for the BBC drama Bodyguard, so Warner Bros. may want to quickly snatch him up.
