Michael Shannon, 'Man Of Steel' Will 'Blow Everybody's Socks Off'
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/29/michael-shannon-the-iceman_n_3175699.html
What Shannon doesn't seem bewildered by is hype behind his upcoming role as General Zod in "Man of Steel" -- a movie that he just recently saw and holds in very high regard. So high, his words of praise come off with an intensity that exceeds anything he does in the sorority letter video. In other words, I really have no choice but to believe him.
We talked about "Man of Steel" last time I spoke to you for "Take Shelter." I feel that movie has been a long process.
It's a big buildup. I'll tell you, I saw it last Monday -- it's worth it.
The last trailer was great.
It was. It's going to blow everybody's socks off. And I know they're probably pissed off, like I'm jinxing it or something and I shouldn't say that. I'll knock on wood just out of deference to the gods, but the movie is solid. It's gonna get the job done.
This is your first big superhero movie. Was it weird going from being in that odd-looking CGI suit to seeing the final product?
It's exhilarating. It's what Zack [Snyder] promised would happen, you know? Because I remember the first couple of days I was on set, I thought
This is ridiculous. I look like an idiot. I don't look anything like General Zod. I'm a total failure. I went over to the screen for playback and it was ridiculous. All of us were wearing pajamas, basically. And there was this neon green set of stairs that was supposed to be our spaceship. So you see us all marching down these neon green stairs in our pajamas and I'm like, "This looks like a Monty Python skit." And he's like, "I know right now it looks pretty silly, but, two years from now, it's going to look like the most badass thing you've ever seen in your life." And he's right.
Do you worry about the diehard comic book fans? They can be vocal.
No. I mean, it is
their thing. It's not my thing. I'm not in that club. So, I have a respect for it. To people, it's like a religious experience and I don't discount that. I understand it. We're very sheltered from all that on set. I mean, yeah, if people want to know if it was a high pressure job -- it was
very high pressure. And everybody felt a lot of anxiety about getting it right. But, Zack's strategy -- which is very intelligent -- is to keep everything very calm and fun and playful and not get tied up about it. Because if you get overly anxious about pleasing people, you can't make anything. You have to be relaxed and have a good time.