Zachary Levi, the actor who has played both Shazam in the DCEU and Fandral in the MCU, discussed that he believes his failed audition to play Peter Quill/Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy may have led to him actually winning the role of Shazam.
As reported by Slashfilm, Levi was a guest on The Playlist's podcast The Fourth Wall and he shared that he got far into the audition process for Star-Lord after his friend and GotG director James Gunn asked him to read for the character. Unfortunately, according to Levi, the role was always Chris Pratt's to lose.
"James and I knew each other, we were friends, we would have game nights at each other's homes, had a lot of mutual friends," Levi said. "And so he had asked me to come in and read for Star-Lord, and I did, and then that led to the next step, and then all of a sudden I was camera testing.
"Oh man, I wanted that role so bad, like so, so, so, so bad. It came down to me, one other guy, and Chris Pratt, but Chris was always their favorite and he was hesitant to take it, which is understandable, I mean it's a big franchise thing, it's Marvel, does it work out, does it not work out? Is this what everyone is going to know me as for the rest of my life? All of those things that go through your head."
While he obviously did not get the role and lost to the actor who will soon be lending his voice to Mario in Super Mario: The Movie, the process led him on the path to another big win.
"But eventually, and I think smartly, [Pratt] decided to take the job and so it didn't go my way or anyone else's way for that matter, but I hoped I left enough of a good impression with James that when I was auditioning for 'Shazam,' and his very dear friend, and manager, and sometimes producing partner, Peter Safran, calls up James because this is how our industry works," Levi said.
"Fortunately, I was in good standing with James, I try to be in good standing with as many people as I can be and try to be a decent person, and I think between that and how well James thought I did in the Star-Lord test, he said, 'Yeah man, you really should give Zach an opportunity at this. I really think he could be great.'
"Was that the thing that sent it all over for me? I don't know that, but I'm sure it was part of that conversation, absolutely. I'm indebted to James that he would believe in me enough to remember that and pass that info on."
Thanks to this, Levi is now finishing up Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Pratt is working on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - two films that are set to be released in theaters on June 2, 2023 and May 5, 2023, respectively.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
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As reported by Slashfilm, Levi was a guest on The Playlist's podcast The Fourth Wall and he shared that he got far into the audition process for Star-Lord after his friend and GotG director James Gunn asked him to read for the character. Unfortunately, according to Levi, the role was always Chris Pratt's to lose.
"James and I knew each other, we were friends, we would have game nights at each other's homes, had a lot of mutual friends," Levi said. "And so he had asked me to come in and read for Star-Lord, and I did, and then that led to the next step, and then all of a sudden I was camera testing.
"Oh man, I wanted that role so bad, like so, so, so, so bad. It came down to me, one other guy, and Chris Pratt, but Chris was always their favorite and he was hesitant to take it, which is understandable, I mean it's a big franchise thing, it's Marvel, does it work out, does it not work out? Is this what everyone is going to know me as for the rest of my life? All of those things that go through your head."
While he obviously did not get the role and lost to the actor who will soon be lending his voice to Mario in Super Mario: The Movie, the process led him on the path to another big win.
"But eventually, and I think smartly, [Pratt] decided to take the job and so it didn't go my way or anyone else's way for that matter, but I hoped I left enough of a good impression with James that when I was auditioning for 'Shazam,' and his very dear friend, and manager, and sometimes producing partner, Peter Safran, calls up James because this is how our industry works," Levi said.
"Fortunately, I was in good standing with James, I try to be in good standing with as many people as I can be and try to be a decent person, and I think between that and how well James thought I did in the Star-Lord test, he said, 'Yeah man, you really should give Zach an opportunity at this. I really think he could be great.'
"Was that the thing that sent it all over for me? I don't know that, but I'm sure it was part of that conversation, absolutely. I'm indebted to James that he would believe in me enough to remember that and pass that info on."
Thanks to this, Levi is now finishing up Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Pratt is working on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - two films that are set to be released in theaters on June 2, 2023 and May 5, 2023, respectively.
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
Continue reading...