Chatting recently with
SHH, Isaiah Mustafa, the actor branded as the "Old Spice Guy", reiterated his interest in taking lead in Marvel Studios' tentative
Luke Cage movie, meeting with the studio, as well why hes keen on the 'Power Man' in particular.
Are you trying to get meetings with Marvel?
"I've already had a meeting with Marvel. I talked to them and I told them that I was a gracious reader of their comics and that I wanted to be Luke Cage. So we'll see where they take it."
We see it, but why Luke Cage? There are a handful of heroes over there that you might be also right for, but why him in particular?
"When you say “handful” you're not joking around, but it's because what's going on with him right now in the Marvel Universe. I think all their [early black] characters were these Blacksploitation characters – these jokey, clownish characters – but now they've really developed the African-American characters. Luke Cage has a lot going on. He's this man, he's got all these powers and abilities and he can use them to save whatever major city, but instead of doing that he uses them to help Harlem. He wants to fix his neighborhood, and that's what's so admirable to me. Instead of leaving and going someplace bigger, he stays right where he needs to be and tries to do the best that they can.",
Does Marvel currently have something actively cooking for Luke Cage, or are you trying to help them get a film off the ground?
They have something in mind, I think, and I definitely want them to see that I'm extremely passionate about it. I'm extremely passionate about being that character. I will do anything to get that role. It strikes me. It's very personal to me. I hold onto it. It's something that I desire more than just about anything that I can think of right now, as far as work goes.
Is there anything over at DC?
"I mean, you have to pick what team you're on, and I don't want to say that I'm not a DC guy, but I definitely grew up a Marvel maniac. That's what I read all the time. I don't want to say that I don't like Superman, Batman, Aquaman, all those guys in the Justice League. I think they're all great, but my attention kind of goes towards "The Avengers" and "The New Avengers", "The Secret Avengers" and everything that they're doing now at Marvel I like."
For the full interview, where Mustafa asserts his Marvel comics collection and more, head over to
SHH. And look for Isaiah Mustafa on the big screen in Tyler Perry's latest 'Madea' film,
Madea's Big Happy Family this Friday, April 22!