SHAZAM! the latest movie from Warner Bros and DC is set the hit theaters this week, so this week on Extra Butter with Xilla Valentine we talk to the cast about their new movie. SHAZAM! starts off with a young Billy Batson played by Asher Angel enjoying the fair with this mother, who is clearly a bit stressed out. She’s trying to win him a big prize but ends up settling for a small toy that will come back up as the movie goes on. While moving on to the next attraction young Billy gets separated from his mother and placed in foster care where he spends the rest of his years trying to reunite with his mother.
Meanwhile, in a magical world, a wizard searches for someone with a pure heart and thinks he has found the kid but the kid turns out not to be pure at all so he sends him back to Earth and his quest shall continue until years later when he stumbles across Billy Batson and turns him into SHAZAM! played by Zachary Levi, who provides a very entertaining performance talked about getting to play a child in a superhero’s body.
“As adult actors, you don’t typically get to go act like your younger self once you’re past that. I didn’t think I would get to play an 18-year-old once I pasted 18 cause you don’t. It just doesn’t happen. So to get to play 14 year old me, or 14-year-old Billy Batson and tap into all of that youthfulness, you can over think it, but then I was like no kids don’t overthink things, they have no responsibilities. Just be emotional and go with what’s in your heart in moments.”
There is a scene in the movie where Zachary is learning to fly and he says the words, “I believe I can fly” so I asked him if that was an R Kelly reference and he states that he is pretty sure there is a scene where he sang the actual lyric that’s on the cutting room floor. I told him rightfully so because R Kelly considered a monster now, after the documentary Surviving R Kelly was released bringing to light numerous allegations of abuse and misconduct by the singer.
Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer and Mark Strong also provide great commentary for this interview that you can watch now above an be sure to go see SHAZAM! in theaters everywhere this weekend.
Zachary Levi & The SHAZAM! Cast Talk R Kelly, Getting Fly & Diversity In Film | #EXTRABUTTER was originally published on globalgrind.com
