In a recent interview with io9.com, Ryan 'Hal Jordan' Reynolds talked about how in the movie, Jordan has 'daddy issues' because his father has been dead for some time, and there are many father/mentor figures who stand out to him.
On Hal Jordan's need of mentors...
"[Hal Jordan] needs mentors. I mean, this is a guy that's out of control at the beginning of our film. He's out of control in a more realistic way. He's not like in the band Poison and falling asleep on an oven which is turned on. He's out of control in a kind of a more realistic sort of a way. He's a rudderless guy, he's arrogant and misguided... He's shepherded by these guys. Mark Strong, who's such an immense talent and an immense presence, serves as a bit of a mentor. You have Kilowog, who's sort of a mentor. Then you have Tomar-Re, who's inducting Hal and really showing what this world is."
On playing a character who overcomes fear...
"What distinguishes Hal from the other Lanterns is that he has the ability to overcome fear, because he experiences it. They see that as a weakness, that he experiences fear. Overcoming fear is the very definition of courage. It's moving on, in spite of it not because of it. It's what makes him the greatest Green Lantern of them all. He harnesses that fear that he's feeling, and he converts it into pure will. It's exciting to play that, but it's also easier to tell that story when you have its opposite next to you. When you're standing next to Mark Strong as Sinestro, who feels no fear and has no fear. And in his performance, you feel no fear. You hear no fear. It makes my job easier to show that contrast."
Green Lantern soars into theaters June 17th, later this year!