Much to the chagrin of fans around the world, there are plenty of actors who sign on for superhero films and aren’t massive fans of the properties. Sometimes, these actors are just professionals who get paid to show up and do their job. The bastards! How dare they not understand the intricacies of the plot and how it relates to the source material? All kidding aside, even though it’s perfectly fine for actors to not be huge nerds, it’s still funny when they say something silly in an interview and further show just how unsavvy they are. This brings us to Helen Mirren, star of the new superhero film “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.”
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Speaking on the Graham Norton Show (some clips are shown below), Helen Mirren was asked to promote “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.” Specifically, she was asked to give viewers an idea of what the film is about. Well, she wasn’t prepared for that sort of question, apparently.
“Don’t ask me about the plot, it’s too complicated,” Mirren said (via Insider). “[Lucy Liu and I] are angry goddesses wearing unbelievably heavy costumes. It was very hot and uncomfortable and, in fact, Lucy said at the end of the first day’s shooting, ‘They are trying to kill us,’ in all seriousness.”
She added, “I wanted to do it because I loved the first ‘Shazam.’ It was sweet and funny. I am not a big superhero-type person, but I loved the idea of it and happily signed up for the second one. It is great.”
So, there you have it—Helen Mirren signed up for a film because she liked the first one, and she doesn’t have the slightest clue what goes on in the film. And you know what, I haven’t seen the movie, but given Mirren’s track record, I’ll go out on a limb and say she does a fine job in the role.
As for ‘Fury of the Gods’ and what role she plays, we know she plays one of the Daughters of Atlas (along with Lucy Liu). They fight Shazam. Explosions and whatnot happen. The world is in danger. Shazam likely wins. Helen Mirren’s character goes off and is never seen again. Without seeing the film, that’s likely what happens. It’s a superhero film, we know what’s up.
Of course, this isn’t the first example of Helen Mirren signing up for a major franchise because she’s a fan. Famously, she asked to be part of the “Fast & Furious” film franchise years ago because she liked the movies. Now, she’s done like five of them or something.
“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” arrives in theaters on March 17.