Chicago Sun Times have had a chance to chat with Michael Shannon regarding his part as General Zod in the upcoming Superman: Man of Steel
On getting the call from Zack Snyder “I was behind the Whole Foods store just south of North Avenue by the Chicago River when my life changed,” he says. “My girlfriend, daughter and I were walking along the river, and my daughter was kicking this ball.
“It was a very sunny, normal day in Chicago — and then my cell phone rang.”
It was a blocked number, but Shannon, who cut his acting teeth doing theater at Steppenwolf and A Red Orchid, likes that challenge.
“Unlike most people, I always answer those calls,” he says. “So, I picked up this one and it was director Zack Snyder from the new ‘Superman’ film saying, ‘I want you to be General Zod.’
“It was very surreal. I felt like I was home getting this amazing call. In the next seconds, I was overwhelmed because this is an iconic character, and what Terence Stamp did in the original [1978] movie was pretty incredible. I knew I had to come up with something different.”
How did he celebrate? Shannon just laughs while tooling around in his car on a sunny Los Angeles afternoon.
“All I could think to do was go in the Whole Foods,” he says. “I think I needed to use the bathroom at that point! My girlfriend Kate was doing a play at Steppenwolf. So that night, we were at her show and then we put my daughter to bed.
“No fireworks. No champagne,” he jokes. “But it was still great.”
On working with Russell Crowe “Russell’s a very nice guy,” Shannon says. “We’ve hung out between takes in Vancouver and go out for dinner. We even go to the gym together, which is funny. It’s the guy trying to save his planet and the guy trying to destroy it.”
Speaking of destroying something . . . “Russell is putting me through his exercise routines,” moans Shannon. “Let’s just say he’s a great fitness coach.”
On General Zod as a character “I’m trying not to affect an attitude in him,” he says. “I see him as someone who is very goal-orientated. After all, he’s a general. He has strategies.”
Be sure to check out the full article on the
Chicago Sun Times website where Shannon goes on to talk about what its like working on set and the interest from the fans.
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