Actor Michael Shannon, who has now twice played Superman movie character General Zod, recently explained that he turned down a role in the Star Wars franchise because he doesn’t want to make “mindless entertainment.”
Shannon, who is currently reprising his Zod role in the DC Comics The Flash film for Warners, said that he was approached to join the Star Wars universe back in 2016, but he turned them down.
Speaking to Empire magazine, Shannon said he turned it down even though it was “a lot of money,” Sci Fi Gazette wrote.
“They were gonna give me a lot of money, but I was like nah. Big movie, too. But I have to think it’s an interesting story. If I don’t, I can’t do it. I won’t do it,” he said. “I’m always a bit wary about those giant movies. Because they take a lot of time and I don’t find them very stimulating to work on. I don’t ever want to get stuck in a franchise. I don’t find them interesting and I don’t want to perpetuate them.”
“If l’m making something, I want there to be some kind of purpose to it — I don’t want to make mindless entertainment. The world doesn’t need more mindless entertainment. We’re inundated with it,” he explained.
Shannon did not elaborate in just which movie or character Disney was offering to have him join the Star Wars franchise. And there has never been any such stories about Shannon being approached by Disney until now.
While adding that he felt his role in 20116’s Man of Steel was part of a “a pretty sophisticated story,” he then took a swipe at the film he has returned for.
“I’m not gonna lie, it wasn’t quite satisfying for me, as an actor. These multiverse movies are like somebody playing with action figures. It’s like, ‘Here’s this person. Here’s that person. And they’re fighting!’” he said, according to Bounding Into comics.
“It’s not quite the in-depth character study situation that I honestly felt Man of Steel was,” he added referring to his General Zod role in Warner’s upcoming Flash film.
Shannon, who does wear his radical left-wing politics on his sleeve, recently shut down production of a film in Arkansas over the state’s tightening of abortion laws.
He also called the people who live in red states “ignorant jackasses,” and “moronic fucking assholes” for voting for Donald Trump.
The Flash debuts on June 16th.
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