Watchmen star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has established himself as one of the most talented actors working in Hollywood today, though he hasn't shied away from blockbuster fare.
His performance as Black Manta was received positively by fans, with the stage set for the villain to take on a greater role in next December's sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. However, during a recent interview with Vulture, Abdul-Mateen shared some surprising comments about how working in that genre differs from the other projects he's taken on lately.
Asked how working on Topdog/Underdog compares to something like Aquaman, he said "Everything should be about getting to the truth. But sometimes you got to know which movie or genre you’re in," the actor explains. "Something like Aquaman, that’s clown work. Aquaman is not The Trial of the Chicago 7. You gotta get over yourself."
Clown work? How dare he!
While some fans are already frothing at the mouth about Abdul-Mateen's remarks, it's easy enough to see where he's coming from here. For example, to play Black Manta, he literally has to stick his head in a bucket in the recording booth. Honestly, that does sound a little like clown work to us.
He'd go on to clarify his remarks, adding "In order to survive and to do it well, you have to play that game and then be crafty about when you want to surprise the audience, the director, or yourself with a little bit of 'Wow, I didn’t expect to see a Chekhovian thing or August Wilson and Aquaman, but I did.'"
Clearly, Abdul-Mateen looks to bring something more to those comic book movie roles where he can, and it should be interesting to see how he fleshes out Black Manta in that upcoming sequel.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom splashes down into theaters on December 25, 2023.