In the final moments of Shazam, we witnessed Billy Batson gain a superhero family. We spoke with Michelle Borth about her role in the film, and that super surprise.
If you are a fan of Hawaii Five-0, then you likely recognize Michelle Borth as Lt. Catherine Rollins. Or perhaps you recognize her from Tell Me You Love Me on HBO. And while the actress might be known for these and other TV roles, we are excited for her turn as Mary Bromfield in DCEU’s latest hit, Shazam.
During an interview with Culturess, we had the opportunity to learn more about Borth, as well as her part in Shazam, and what it means to take on this special role in the film.
Considering Shazam is very much a family-centric film, it makes sense that not only in this interview, but also our previous one with Marta Milans (who plays Mama Rosa), one of the points both actresses discussed was how all of these characters came together, and why the relationships are so central to the story.
Beyond learning more about the family-centric story line and the character of Mary Bromfield, Michelle also talked about her own inspirations and even the history of these characters.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity, and does contain spoilers for Shazam.
First of all, congratulations on this role. We’re sure it is super super exciting to be joining the DCEU and Shazam. How does it feel to join such an incredible and historic franchise?
That’s a hard question to answer. It’s overwhelming. It’s slightly overwhelming and to be completely honest, because of this situation with the adult superheroes where we are not revealed until the end, it’s kind of still surreal to me because we haven’t been able to talk about it. It doesn’t feel quite real yet.
Tell us what about your character, May Bromfield, and the experience of getting to play her.
Mary Marvel is the superhero version of Mary Bromfield, who is played by the lovely, ridiculously beautiful Grace Fulton. When the kids become superheroes, they kind of turn into the best versions of themselves. For Mary, she’s really uptight for a 17-year-old. She worries a lot and acts like a second mother. She doesn’t really know how to have fun. With Mary Marvel and my role, it’s to let Mary have fun and let her hair down, you know, laugh and be bad ass. So for her, she gets to shed her skin and come into her own.
Were you familiar at all with the comic and backstories of any of these characters before taking the role?
I knew of Captain Marvel and I had heard of Mary Marvel. That was the extent of it. I hadn’t read any of the comics when I was younger, but I did do quite a bit of research. I like that Shazam is coming from the old-school DC comics, and Shazam was the original wizard that gave Captain Marvel all of his powers.
Something that’s really interesting about this story is we have a child in the foster care system who gains incredible powers. This isn’t a billionaire like Tony Stark or an alien like Superman. It’s a kid who’s struggling in so many ways and then gains these powers, and a family too.
I think that part for me is the heart of this film. It’s what makes this film so different from your average superhero movie that people are used to seeing. It gives it depth, but it also gives it that warm fuzzy feeling. Especially during a time when there’s just a lot of negative stuff going around in our country. This is one of those movies that just makes you feel really good.
That’s what I love about it. It has a total positive message that we’re sending out there. I also think foster parents are superheroes, these people who are selfless and give themselves to kids who don’t have a home. It’s my definition of what a real life superhero is.
To me, that gives this film its soul so it’s not just CGI effects and cool stuff to look at. It’s actually this really thoughtful and thought-provoking storyline. It elevates it that much. I think it sets it apart from what we’re used to seeing and that is what will be really special about it.