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When Harry Lennix first signed up to appear in Zack Snyder’s 2013 film Superman “Man of Steel,” he believed he was playing General Swanwick, the US military’s main point of contact with the Henry Cavill’s Kryptonian superhero. In Snyder’s follow-up to 2016’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”, Lennix returned as Swanwick, who had been promoted to Secretary of Defense.
It wasn’t until October 2019, however, that Lennix learned that Snyder’s true intention was to reveal in 2017’s “Justice League” that Swanwick was in fact J’onn J’onzz, aka the superhero. favorite of DC fans – and eventual member of the Justice League. – known as Martian Manhunter. In the comics, J’onn is the last surviving member of his species; his ability to change his appearance (normally he is green, bald and has red eyes) allowed him to live as a human on Earth.
In a series of social media posts, Snyder revealed storyboards for a scene between Martha Kent (Diane Lane) and Lois Lane (Amy Adams) that ended with Martha transforming into J’onn – then Swanwick. . “I got to film everything except for Harry Lennix’s side,” Snyder wrote. “I was planning on doing this in LA.”
That shoot, of course, never came to fruition: Snyder left “Justice League” in the spring of 2017 and was replaced by Joss Whedon, and much of Snyder’s vision for the film – including Martian Manhunter – has been cut. After a huge popular campaign for #ReleasetheSnyderCut, however, WarnerMedia announced last May that Snyder was rebuilding his version of the film into a four-hour epic. Over the summer, Lennix was finally able to turn his side of the Martian Manhunter introduction, using motion capture to embody J’onn’s massive green frame.
This is the first time that Martian Manhunter will appear in a live-action feature film (David Harewood stars in the CW series “Supergirl”), and with “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” finally set to release on HBO Max on March 18, Variety contacted Lennix to ask him questions about his unusual journey to the role.
Lennix is a busy guy: he’s currently filming the eighth season of NBC’s “The Blacklist,” and in December he announced his plans to establish the Lillian Marcie Center and the African American Museum of the Performing Arts in South Chicago. . He has worked for over 30 years as an actor – he’s set to star in Snyder’s upcoming Netflix animated series “Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas” – including two seasons in the 2009 Fox television series – 2010 Whedon “Dollhouse”.
So when Variety asked the 56-year-old for comment on Ray Fisher’s allegations that Whedon engaged in “abusive” and “unprofessional” behavior while working on “Justice League,” Lennix had a few things to do say.
Did you first learn that Zack Snyder wanted to make Swanwick a Martian manhunter when he posted this character storyboard in October 2019?
I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what I found out. I don’t think there was any word advanced. There are a lot of people out there who got it one way or another, like fans who bounce that idea off. So I don’t know if anyone knew about it other than Zack before that. But I didn’t know until I saw this storyboard.
So Zack didn’t give you any indication before posting this news?
No he didn’t. Every once in a while, you know, Zack will text or email me. I certainly did projects with him, like “Army of the Dead”, and I knew it was going to happen. But he likes to surprise me, and I think I’m not unique that way. But, you know, there was no time I could have found out that would have been a happier time.
After you broke this news, did he call you and say, “Oh, by the way, I was going to do that”?
No. The next call I got from Zack was, “Hey, when can you come in and shoot?” So it was awesome. I found out that was a possibility, or at least that Martian Manhunter was going to be in it, when he revealed through the storyboard that Martha Kent was coming to visit Lois, and then after she left she turned out to be, in fact, Calvin Swanwick, or the Martian Manhunter. That’s how I found out.
There is a point in “Man of Steel” where Swanwick asks Superman why he won’t reveal his alien identity who now feels very sharp in a way you obviously didn’t expect.
Yes, it’s true. And I think to some extent that’s what kind of sparked the speculation [about Martian Manhunter], that Swanwick didn’t back down after Superman took off his handcuffs rather casually and walked to the window. We shot this scene about nine years ago. I think I asked Zack the question, “Am I going to back down here?” Because I am a general, I obviously faced danger.
And, he said, “No, actually, you stay where you are, maybe even go a little bit further.” Maybe that’s what made those wheels spin, which at least hinted that it might be a plausible revelation.
What did you know about the character of Martian Manhunter before it became a thing?
Not much at all. I only knew there was such a character. I had heard from fans of the DCEU that there were a few members of the Justice League who weren’t represented in the movie, and vaguely that one of those people was Martian Manhunter, J’onn J’onzz. . I didn’t know much about him at all.
How many do you think he’s going to be in the movie?
I don’t know what will be left on the floor, if any, but I didn’t shoot an excessive amount. My work is not, so to speak, central to the film. It can be at one point in the plot. But I don’t think you’ll start talking about this character more than, say, Superman.
You said elsewhere that you would like there to be a Martian Manhunter movie. Did you hear anything from Warner Bros. about it?
Not a single thing. I haven’t heard of anything that has moved this needle to a reality. But why not?!
The reason there’s a Snyder Cut is because Zack was replaced by Joss Whedon on the movie. As you know, Ray Fisher alleged that Joss made a mistake during the filming. You worked with Joss on two seasons of “Dollhouse”, so I wanted to ask if you had any thoughts on that?
I was not there during the period in question. I am sorry that anyone must have experienced what has been described. Obviously, there is a side of the story that we have heard. I don’t know if Joss commented. As you pointed out, I worked quite closely with Joss for a few years there. I haven’t seen this behavior, and at the same time, as an actor, my heart goes out to anyone who has had to go through this kind of treatment. We are often treated like second-class citizens. But I haven’t seen it, and I’d be curious to know [Joss’s] answer to this was.
I just hope everyone can move on, to be honest with you. As a former seminarian, and as a person who made mistakes, I have been on both sides of this equation. Directors are sometimes insensitive to the needs or feelings of the actors, and sometimes the actors are in need, and sometimes they are too sensitive. I know I can be. Having said that, I hope that whatever has happened, that people can move on, and – aside from something unforgivable – that people can forgive each other, not just among themselves, but forgive themselves. themselves. Say, “Look, I might have made this mistake in the past, now I know better and I’ll do better.” It was another time. What was tolerable five years ago, a year ago, is no longer tolerable, and we have to adapt to it. I think part of it is, that it’s generational in a way. I know Ray’s got to be better because of it, to be stronger, to have survived it. And I also hope that Joss can survive there too, be the writer and the creator that he is and we can all be better because of that.
You look at this with more empathy than I would say a lot of observers have it in light of what Ray has alleged, and what the cast of “Angel” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” have alleged about. by Joss Wednesday. Have you had any purely professional experiences with Joss?
Yes. Completely professional. I haven’t seen any of this kind of behavior that I hear about. But I am in a different place. That sort of thing probably won’t happen to me, just because I’m a big black guy from the south side of Chicago, people are a little more circumspect, but they might think about treating me or talking to me. I think maybe we should give [Joss] another chance to answer, to see what his side of the story is. Don’t minimize anyone’s story, don’t minimize the experiences of others in any way. But I believe we must learn to reconcile. And we have to learn to move forward.
We couldn’t take that to court, per se, not really. What I have learned over the years is that two people could be telling the absolute truth from their point of view and disagree on what these highlights are. Whatever these highlights, I think everything I’ve heard so far – and that’s not all – is salvageable. And so to the extent that it is recoverable, let’s recover and keep moving forward.
Joss has not commented, Ray has not released nearly all of the details of what he says happened on “Justice League,” and WarnerMedia has not revealed what the company learned in its investigation. . So figuring out how to move forward is complicated without the details.
I agree 100%. What I was able to glean from the stories and back and forth, as it is – especially the sequel – is that nasty things were said, mean and insensitive things were said, which put some people uncomfortable. It’s definitely something that I know well with actors who have to endure. Indeed, it is part of the process. People tell us ‘no’ for a number of reasons, or tell us to lose or gain weight or get taller or shorter or younger. It’s just the nature of the business – it’s a staff Business. I am of the opinion that it is entirely possible to solve this problem and that what really needs to happen is dialogue. I mean, the old standard of American jurisprudence is that you have a right to face your accuser and respond. I think people have a right to present both sides of the matter. In fact, it’s not just a right, I think it’s an obligation. I wonder what’s going to happen.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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