Exclusive: Harry Lennix talks Man of SteelBy Wilson Morales
June 8, 2013
Coming out on June 14 is the hotly anticipated film of the year, Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, featuring Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/ Superman, the villainous General Zod, played by Michael Shannon, Superman’s father, Jor-El, portrayed by Russell Crowe, Amy Adams as Daily Planet journalist Lois Lane, and Laurence Fishburne as her editor-in-chief, Perry White.
With a screenplay written by David Goyer, Clark Kent is forced to confront his secret extraterrestrial heritage when Earth is invaded by members of his race.
Also included in the cast are Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as Clark Kent’s adoptive parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent, Christopher Meloni as Colonel Hardy, and Harry Lennix as U.S. military man General Swanwick.
For Lennix, who has appeared in many films, including Robert Townsend’s The Five Heartbeats, Spike Lee’s Get On The Bus, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Ray, A Beautiful Soul, and The Last Fall, over the last 20 years, it’s a dream come true for the Chicago native to actually be in a Superman film after having grown up reading the comics, watching the TV series and earlier film versions of the comic book hero.
While speaking exclusively with Blackfilm.com, Lennix talked about his character, working with Zack Snyder, and being a big fan of Superman.
How would describe General Swanwick?
Harry Lennix: He is a company man and by-the-books general. He wants to play by the rules. He wants to do everything accordingly, but this is a highly unusual circumstance, and the rules don’t apply here. He finds himself adapting to the contingency as oppose to following protocol. At best, I would say he’s a straight arrow.
Having played authority figures before, what makes this role different?
HL: Superman makes the difference. The fact is that there is no other figure in all of the superhero kingdom that is close to Superman. The characters can be somewhat similar but the circumstances are different. For example, when I was in ‘The Matrix’ films, my character didn’t interact with Neo, so I didn’t have that exchange. In this film, I get to do so with Superman. I think that in itself makes it different than the other authority figures I’ve played.
How was working with Zack, Henry, and Amy?
HL: Zack is great. He’s a guy who knows what he wants. He knows how to get it. He’s very cool in a sense that I never saw him get ruffled and he’s dealing with all these huge budgetary things. There are a lot of bells and whistles and toys that he got to play with, and I thought he handled that beautifully. He could also talk to you about the nuances of the circumstances of the character. Of course, Amy (Adams) and Henry (Cavill) were perfectly professionals and very, very nice. I enjoyed working with both of them and would love to do it again. They were excellent people.
Were you involved in any of the CGI scenes?
HL: A little bit. I didn’t get to fly around, but when you are interacting with someone who does, then yes, you have to go with it. Basically what you are doing is using your imagination. You have no idea what it’s going to be in the end, but you do have an imagination. You have to help the circumstance that is being described.
You’re based in Chicago, where parts of the film were shot. Were you disappointed that you couldn’t be there to shoot your scenes?
HL: I would have loved to have shot my scenes here, but I’ve shot films in the past here. I did most of my shooting in Vancouver, and we were also in a place in Bishop, California and both of those locations were lovely. When you are working, you are working and you don’t get much of a chance to go hang out or go sightseeing. When it comes to Chicago, I’ve already done all that. But yes, I would have loved to shot here because it’s my hometown and I like being here.
Had you seen the previous Superman films, and how do you feel about being in one?
HL: I absolutely saw the Christopher Reeve versions and I used to watch the television show with George Reeves. I never really thought that I would be in a Superman film but when I heard that they were rebooting it. When I heard that they were going to do another take after the Bryan Singer version underperformed and that they were going to be hiring Zack Snyder, whose work I really admire, I was like, “I would love to be in that.” One day I got a phone call and they said, “Hey, we want you in it.” It was great confirmation because it let me know that there were people who were important in the game that were watching and had some awareness of my work and some respect for it. It’s really a dream come true. I was literally sitting there, minding my business, when the call came and said they wanted me to be in the new Superman film. I was part of the process, sort of speak, from early on, and it was a great honor and a great thrill.
What are your thoughts on Laurence Fishburne playing Perry White?
HL: I love it. Fishburne is a good buddy of mine. I respect his work as an actor and as a man. We got a chance to work together on ‘The Matrix’ films and our characters there had an antagonistic relationship, but I’m looking forward to seeing his work on this film and I glad to see that he will be a part of it should it go forward. I love it. I think it’s great. When you have two strong black men in a film, who are not wearing dresses, I think that’s a great cause for celebration. I wish there would more of it and to be honest with you, we, as Black filmmakers, would make that happen more, but it’s rare that you get to see two strong, positive black men in a film of this magnitude. Whether or not black people are doing it or anyone else, I celebrate it every time it happens.
Having appeared in studio films, independent films, and making guest spots on various TV shows, what is it that you look for when taking on roles?
HL: I look for something that is not going to be an embarrassment to me as a representative of a bigger entity. Anytime I show up on the screen, the first thing that people are going to see is a black man. Whatever the character is supposed to be, from a lawyer, banker, athlete, or a cook, the first thing people are going to identify is what, who I am. I can’t have that be an embarrassment to us. The second thing I look for is the quality of the work. Is the project itself of merit? Is it something I can get behind psychologically what the project is saying? Whether it’s about the state of the world, or the human condition, or relations between men and women, I need to believe that the project is authentic and has something to contribute to the conversation. The third thing I look for is whether the project is worth my time or is it a lot of money. A lot of times, there is not a lot of money in the game so there has to be some other form of compensation or something interesting to do. If the project doesn’t meet either of these criteria, then I usually say no.
What are you working on next?
HL: I’m going to doing a television show in New York called ‘The Blacklist.’ That will be coming up in the fall, Monday nights after ‘The Voice.’ I’m playing an FBI assistant director for counter terrorism opposite James Spader, who plays a master criminal. I’m also gearing up for the VOD, DVD of a film I produced called ‘Mr. Sophistication,’ which is directed by Danny Green and should be out in September. Subsequently, I’m finishing and releasing the first black Shakespeare film ever done called H4, which is Henry the 4th by William Shakespeare set in an African American 21st century. So those are the things that occupy my immediate presence. It’s already shot and we’re in post-production with it.
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