With Sweet Tooth set to premiere on Netflix this Friday (check out our review by clicking here), we were recently fortunate enough to catch up with star Neil Sandilands. As the sinister and mysterious General Douglas Abbot, he's a highlight in the series and no stranger to playing a comic book big bad.
Many of you might know the actor best for his work as The Thinker in The Flash, a role he definitely made his own. While we were talking to Neil, we asked if there's ever been any talk about possibly reprising the role, and even though he didn't shed too much light on that, the actor did explain how the villain differs to Abbot and the work that went into creating the Scarlet Speedster's foe.
"I had a lovely time when I was up in Vancouver doing [The Flash]. It was a great challenge because my initial take on that character was quite different to what the showrunners had in mind. There was a lot of adjustment. This is the differentiation between a character like Abbott and Thinker. With The Thinker, they wanted to have a classic big bad. When you see and meet the man, and when he’s introduced, you are very definitely aware that this is the guy that needs to be overcome. He’s created with those ominous tones of 'big bad.' You can almost see and feel it."
"That season four, they scripted all of the other characters and wanted a lighter storyline with The Thinker the counterpoint," Sandilands continued, revealing how the role changed after he was cast. "When I came on set, my ideas were way lighter than they wanted to have it, so I had to literally tap into, ‘How do we create that?’ I think we did a marvellous job of it. I’m glad people are enchanted by it, but when I read Abbot, on the other hand, there was almost a cellular response to it. I knew this character, I know the archetypical value, and I can construct the pathology around him."
It certainly sounds like a lot of work went into creating The Thinker, and while Neil didn't outright say he'd be open to playing Clifford DeVoe again, the actor clearly enjoyed the year or so he spent in the Arrowverse/CWVerse.
You can find Neil on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, while we'd also recommend checking out his new album, Sangoma Sandilands & Jou Pa se Posse MAANSKYN, here (a physical copy is also available for pre-order at this link).
Check back here a little later this week for our full chat with the Sweet Tooth star!