THE WALKING DEAD's Cooper Andrews Talks SHAZAM! Role; Says Trailer Didn't Show The Best Stuff - EXCLUSIVE
Cooper Andrews plays Billy Batson's foster father in Shazam! and he talks here about his role in the movie as well as revealing that the Comic-Con barely scratched the surface of the DC Comics adaptation!
Cooper Andrews is best known to comic book fans for playing loveable badass Jerry in The Walking Dead but we'll see him on the big screen next year in Shazam! as Victor Vasquez, Billy Batson's foster father. Up until now, very little has been known about what exactly he'll be getting up to in the DC Comics movie but I recently had the opportunity to ask the actor what we should expect from him.
"I can say that he's such a fun character to play. I always play some version of a happy guy but this is a fatherly version. This movie was so well-written and is one of the best scripts I've read...and I've read a few! This one was just so impressive and I feel like it connects in an actual, genuine way and I really think people are going to see why and I think they'll become attached the same way I did. As far as my character goes, I'm excited. He tells the dad jokes...he's just this good-natured guy that's not trying to impose anything on anybody. With these kids, these foster kids, there's a fine line that he has to walk to guide them and it's going to be cool. "
That all sounds awesome and lines up with what we've been hearing about Shazam! from other actors and filmmakers. It's also now clear that Cooper will be playing the version of Victor that Geoff Johns and Gary Frank introduced during their New 52 run with the character. Next, I asked the actor about that Comic-Con trailer for the movie and he was quick to point out that the best is still to come!
"That trailer was amazing but honestly, it was one of those trailers where I can tell you right now, that wasn't the best stuff! It shows just how good the movie is and I really think every scene was great and I think they can make a thousand trailers and I'd be happy to see them repeat the same scenes but this is going to be a lot of fun. It's a family movie and it's going to be really good."
We probably won't get another look at Shazam! until Aquaman is released this December but based on Cooper's comments, it definitely sounds like the movie is heading in the right direction and it will be a lot of fun seeing how things develop between Victor and Billy, especially after the latter gains superpowers. Check back soon for our full interview about The Walking Dead season eight and nine.
About The Author:
A lifelong comic book fan who grew up on Spider-Man: The Animated Series in the '90s, Josh Wilding has been contributing to ComicBookMovie.com since 2009.
While he's also written for websites like Batman-News, HeyUGuys, and WhatCulture, Josh is CBM's Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and the site's #1 contributor with nearly two decades of experience covering film and TV news (including interviews with Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Gary Oldman, Halle Berry, Jon Bernthal, Tom Welling, and hundreds more).
Based in the UK with his wife, Josh is also an avid WWE and Formula 1 fan and writes about those passions on CBM's sister sites, TheRingReport.com and FullThrottleHQ.com. Favourite superhero? Spider-Man. Favourite pro wrestler? CM Punk. Favourite F1 driver? Max Verstappen.