Everything We Learned From The Cast At The ‘Black Adam’ Trailer Event
Black Adam released its second full trailer on Thursday night ahead of the NFL football game, giving fans a new look at the next DC movie.
Ahead of the release of the second trailer, Aldis Hodge, Quintessa Swindell, Sarah Shahi and Mo Amer sat down with press to share some details about their characters, the themes of the movie and more!
Aldis Hodge began by telling press how incredible becoming Hawkman was.
“It feels absolutely incredible. I grew up on comics myself, so I’m a fan as well, and to be able to have this opportunity to bring him to the big screen for the very first time in this way, with this team, it’s insane. I can’t wait for y’all to see what this thing is. It’s really something special.
There is a lot of history to figure out where to start with this character, and for me and what we did, talking to [Black Adam director Jaume Collet-Serra] about what the direction on the narrative was, it really came down to what we know and love as fans,” Hodge said. “But then also, how it works and to where we find them with Black Adam in this space, I can’t give away the cookies and the details… Everybody got a recorder, so I ain’t going to say nothing. I’m going to just say, where we start is… it’s a great place for people who know and love what this is. But also, it’s who we are looking to discover when it comes to the Justice Society, when it comes to what we are, and how we’re moving, and how we live in this world with Black Adam.
So if you’re a fan, you’re going to get what you want. You’re going to get what you need. If you’re not a fan, if you don’t know anything about this, you’re going to get everything you need to know to learn about what this is, and you’re going to become a fan. So for me, they started this character and this team in the exact right spot for making this whole thing just take off.”
Aldis Hodge on playing Hawkman
Quintessa Swindell spoke about Cyclone’s physicality and how they worked with director Jaume Collet-Serra to bring the character to life.
“Jaume had approached me and said that he had an idea for this character in the way that she moves and wanted it to be almost dance like, and for me, that’s very fun. Having gone to theater school and like, just physical movement, physical theater, and stuff like that, I started pulling from the elements of people that I had learned, like looking at Alvin Ailey, or looking at Martha Graham, Louie Fuller, Isidore Duncan, and all of those references of movement and how they have all of these really broad movements. And then integrating that into this character in a way that we haven’t seen someone who harnesses wind move. And so that, for me, the physical element was so important. When I was working out, I wanted to focus on creating muscle that was very functional to sustain the movements that I really wanted to make. So I was stretching a lot. And then really just becoming more open, which for me became like a really big personal journey as well.”
Quintessa Swindell on playing Cyclone
Comedian Mo Amer, who recently created his new show Mo on Netflix, shared more details about his character, Karim, and how he adds some comic relief to the story.
“Karim, I absolutely love this character. I think he’s just the sweetest, has the purest of intentions, doesn’t want to get involved with anything, doesn’t want to be a part of anything. I love when I read the line of, ‘He just wants to watch westerns and wants no part of anything.’ And then, of course, his sister just wants to meddle in all the sh-t and get them involved in trying to save Kahndaq and bring justice back to the country. And, of course, he follows because he does as he’s told. But he’s pure, he’s sweet.
I describe him as a bear. Bears are cute and sweet from a distance, but you start messing with him and he will f— you up. He will protect his young and protect his family, and that’s the best way I can describe him. They look warm and cuddly, but don’t poke him too much because he might take his claws out and come after you.”
Mo Amer on his character in Black Adam
Sarah Shahi spoke about her character Adrianna and how she views Black Adam.
“So, my character in the film, she’s sort of the leader of this resistance movement. There’s a big, oppressive gang that’s coming after the country. And then I’m in charge of defeating them, or getting the troops together to defeat them. And Black Adam, she’s super well aware of the mythology. She’s almost like a Indiana Jones meets Lara Croft kind of character.
She’s very excited about the fact that he’s there. And like Mo was saying, she meets him with a lot of trepidation at the same time, but she kind of becomes the Black Adam wrangler in a sense.”
Sara Shahi on playing Adrianna in Black Adam
Swindell shared how Cyclone’s views on what being a hero means changes when she meets Black Adam.
“For Cyclone, because she’s the newcomer on the team along with Atom Smasher, it’s this experience of knowing about Hawkman and seeing the things that he’s done and seeing superheroes as being, you know, just like, I don’t know how to say it exactly. But, you know, there’s right and there’s wrong, and then, you know, there’s no gray area. I think when she’s introduced to Black Adam over the course of the film, there’s kind of like this bubbling question that happens of like, ‘Are we on the right side? And is good and bad so black and white? Or is there kind of this gray area that you can function within?’ That isn’t necessarily, I guess, indicative of how we see justice, you know. Are there other means that we can receive justice that works for this community in this group that’s faced such hardship?”
Quintessa Swindell on the role of morality in the Black Adam
Hodge went on to add how his dynamic with Black Adam changes over the course of the film.
“Y’all know Black Adam and Hawkman, they clash. Not exactly buddies, this is oil and water. We are not ebony and ivory. But to Quintessa’s point, that is exactly where we’re at because Hawkman has his own sense of what justice is. Especially as he’s been through different stages with the Justice Society and leading the team, he has to walk by code as he leaves his other people to walk that very same pathway. You know, by his moral ethics and his code.
When it comes to Black Adam, he does what he wants based on what he believes in and doesn’t care as long as he gets his job done. He feels there’s an understanding of justice, but there’s a different perspective on how to get that justice. So that’s where Black Adam and Hawkman really clash. It’s, ‘I get you, I see where you’re at. I understand what you’re trying to do. I don’t agree with how you’re doing it.’ But because they are both very much feral warriors. There’s an understanding. I don’t know if there’s exactly a kinship yet in the beginning, but there’s a respect ‘I see you, you see me now. What are we going to do about this?’ and that’s where you can get the fun. That’s where you get the tussle.”
Aldris Hodge on Hawkman’s relationship with Black Adam
The cast absolutely loved Pierce Brosnan. They spoke with such joy when his name was brought up.
Shahi instantly recounted what a joy it was to work with Brosnan.
“Can we talk about Pierce? Because he’s, like, my favorite person. First of all, he is legendary. Pierce Brosnan is everything you want him to be and more and would show up to set and be like, ‘Sarah. Love. Love, pass the salt.’ He threw a big…What holiday was it? For Labor Day? I don’t know. Fourth of July? I don’t know, one of those summer holidays. I had my kids with us when we were filming. And he was so allowing of these three little assholes that came up to him. And my twins were putting their hands all throughout his hair, or like farting on him, like doing things. And Pierce loved it. Like, he was just wonderful. I mean, I’m telling you I can’t say enough good things about that man. He’s incredible.”
Sarah Shahi on Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Fate in Black Adam
Amer followed up Shahi’s glowing commentary with praise of his own.
“The first scene that he started off with the movie, we happened to be in a scene together. I was so excited. I forgot to look at my sides…The excitement he creates on set, and then you learn so much from him just as an artist and as a human being, which is so rare.”
Mo Amer on the experience that is Pierce Brosnan
Lastly, Hodge ended with how Brosnan “the best of the best.”
“He really is just, I mean, salt of the earth, really the best best. And the thing is, he was excited about this too, equally excited. The thing I remember most candidly is a conversation we had when we got on the ship. You all saw a ship in the trailer, it’s there. But we got on the ship. And you know, he’s just looking at it every day. I’m looking at this brother. And he’s just, ‘Oh, look at this cool. This is cool.’ And I’m like, ‘Bro, you are 007.’ I was talking to him about how to maintain the joy because I’m like, you’ve been through so much and you’re still excited? Like, how do you do that? Because I want to be able to maintain that and not get jaded through the process. So we had a great conversation about wonderment, being able to keep your joy, and maintaining just your sense. Exactly. And he’s just that gracious kind of brother.”
Aldis Hodge on working with Pierce Brosnan in Black Adam
Shahi spoke about how incredibly supportive Dwayne Johnson is.
“I’ve worked with, you know, people of that sort, and they don’t–they’re not that gracious with themselves, you know. And he is somebody who is incredibly gracious of himself, of his life to other people. And it’s new, you know, for me to experience and I was like, ‘that was really, really sweet of you to do that. And, you know, why did you do that? Just curious.’ And he was like, ‘You know, Sarah, I like Mo. I want to like people, I want to see people win.’ And it’s so true. And I feel like every single one of us was on the receiving end of that. And, you know, yeah, as a costar, as a producer, all of that stuff. He was very supportive.“
Sarah Shahi on Dwayne Johnson’s kindness
How does Amanda Waller connect to the Justice Society? The cast couldn’t say much about how she ties into the story, but they did give us a little tease.
Hodge was excited to share the screen with Viola Davis.
“All I can say is that I may have exchanged a few words with her. You know what I’m saying? And that’s all I can say. But I will say, personally it was awesome, awesome, awesome to be able to share the screen space with Miss Legendary Viola Davis.”
Aldis Hodge fanboying over Viola Davis
How does Black Adam fit into the larger DCEU? At the end of the Q&A, Quintessa was able to tease the connection to the DC movie universe lightly.
“When you watch the movie, you can imagine all of it coexisting together. Even considering that it’s like the first one, or for us, but you can see that the world of DC gets a little bit broader. And then there’s space for more to come. Which I think is the most incredible part about the film.”
Quintessa on Black Adam’s role in the DCEU
Black Adam hits theaters on October 21, 2022.
