When the world found out that missed shot at Marvel's Star-Lord seem like fate, not failure.
We spoke with Levi during thankful Marvel killed off his Thor character, but it wasn't a simple swap from ing character to solo hero.
In fact, Levi reveals that he ed on the role of Shazam believing he never stood a chance. But the story of how he landed it sounds just as important to the actor as playing the star of the Guardians of the Galaxy once did.
RELATED: How The Shazam Movie Connects To The DCEU
You are a huge nerd, so when you get a script that has SHAZAM at the top, what was your reaction? Did you think, 'This was made for me,' or--
No, as a matter of fact... I guess I can go into this first, because you guys are the audiences to start this with. The truth is I had an appointment slip set up about two months before I got the job. My agency sent me an appointment slip for the role of Shazam, in the movie Shazam. I knew that the Rock had been cast as Black Adam, so my first reaction is, '...Why the hell are they sending me this right now?' I emailed them and I said, 'Hey, aren’t they looking for a) massive stars, or at the very least, b) someone who is a massive person?'
Even as a cursory Captain Marvel person, who knew very little, quite honestly, about the character at that point, I knew enough to know that. So I emailed them back and I said, 'Aren’t they looking for big stars or big guys?' There was kind of a non-committal, 'We’re not really sure.' So I said, 'Well I think I’m going to because I think that might be a waste of time. This doesn’t seem like I’ve got a shot at getting this job, to be perfectly honest.'
I got another audition for a completely different role. I had no idea exactly what the role was, but they were sides that were written specifically for auditions. I was like, 'OK, there’s one scene where I felt I could probably portray this character.' I put myself on tape, and that was sent to the creative team. Then I get a call from my agent and they said, 'Hey, so... what about that role of Shazam that you ed on two months ago? Because they think you actually might be very right for this.' Then at that point, I got very happy. But I was also still kind of confused. I camera tested probably five days later, or six days later. Then the next day I found out that... David [F. Sandberg] called me. I was at the gym--I think that was a propos--I got a call from David, who said, 'You are my Shazam.'
Nobody can blame Levi for his reservations at the time, since everyone even aware of the DC movie schedule was just as confused as to why costume designer Leah Butler).
That experience of ing on a role others would kill for took on new meaning, it seems. Before Chris Pratt landed the part of Peter Quill in Marvel's Guardians - a role he underwent a similar physical transformation to play - Levi was reported to be on James Gunn's shortlist. The twist of fate isn't lost on Levi, who found himself in Pratt's shoes just a few years later:
It was oddly or ironically reminiscent of when I was camera testing for Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy. I knew that Chris Pratt had also ed on that role, and I wanted it so bad. There was definitely a strange thing of, 'Wow, when you are not holding onto something so tightly...' If it’s not something you’re dying for, but you can have an unbiased, somewhat clear idea of what you are trying to go after, and know that you are just being you, you are bringing your essence. Ultimately, that’s what I think got me this job. It’s what New Line saw. It’s what Warner Brothers saw. It’s what David saw and [producer] Peter Safran saw. They knew they needed to cast someone that could be as exuberant or optimistic or sassy as a 14-year-old boy. And damn it, that’s me in a nutshell.
My particular energy has gotten me into a lot of incredible jobs like Chuck, like Tangled, like Alvin and the Chipmunks or whatever. It’s always something that’s got a lot of heart to these characters. There was definitely a part of me that felt like, 'Maybe I’m never really going to have my shot at something like this, because you need to be... I don’t know, one of the Chrises.' Either starting super-ripped, or super-moody, or super-sexy, whatever that is. I always felt like I was more of an every-guy. I felt like I was following in a Tom Hanks kind of trajectory.
But then when I realized that we genuinely were making something between Superman and Big, I was like, 'Damn, this is a dream job.' I couldn’t have prayed or thought about this more. So, there: that’s how I became me… in this.
Reality can be stranger than fiction, and noting drives that home like the fact that the DCEU's version of the Justice League, of course.
