Fan Expo Dallas: Zachary Levi discusses playing a superhero in Shazam!

On the final day of Fan Expo Dallas, fans of Shazam! were treated to a panel with Zachary Levi where he answered questions, sang, and shared his sense of humor with all of us.

For fans of the DCEU, it feels like 2019 is the year of Shazam!, and that is all thanks to Zachary Levi. With this movie, the actor has become more of a household name, which means he is high demand. At Fan Expo Dallas, that became even more clear as lines for his autograph and picture were three times as large as other lines. Going into Levi’s panel even felt like a gamble of will we make it in or not.

Let’s just say that getting to sit and listen to Levi answering his fans’ questions was an unforgettable experience. From getting to hear him sing not once but twice (at one point he led the audience in a rousing rendition of the Toys ‘R’ Us theme song), to just listening to his excitement over the role of Shazam!, Levi is truly the kind of actor who can carry the moniker of fan favorite with ease.

At his panel for Fan Expo Dallas, Levi did not have a moderator, as he wanted to make sure it was all about the fans and answering their questions. This meant that we were treated to a wide range of topics, from Shazam! to the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel to Chuck and even his love of Disney (which makes sense considering he is the voice of Flynn in Tangled, and he called himself a Disnerd at one point).

The very first question Zachary Levi was asked was what he enjoyed most about being Shazam. According to the actor, the big thing was making people laugh and making other people feel good. He said that even as a kid that was something he enjoyed and in this movie he gets to do that a lot. For him, it was “a joyride.”

Of course, the next Shazam! related question tied into the first one, as a fan asked him what it was like to “play a 14-year-old kid as an adult.” Right away Levi said that for him it was “like a duck to water.” As he explained, he has “never fully grown up,” and he doesn’t really know if he ever will. (And yes, this is when he broke out in song to lead us in the theme song for Toys ‘R’ Us.)

According to him, even when we get older, it is still important to hold on to at least the “innocence” of being a child. He believe that it is important to hold on to the joy and that people need to be silly, even as adult.

Another fan asked the actor if he had to study Asher Angel’s mannerisms in order to play him as an adult. Levi explained that although his co-star was busy with work for Disney, they were able to get in some solid rehearsal time together, along with the movie’s director, David F. Sandberg. Levi also shared he had dinner with Angel’s family in order to “feel his energy.” Ultimately, Levi said he wanted to do his “best attempt” at channeling a modern kid.

As Levi pointed out, he couldn’t act like he would have when he was a kid. Instead, it was about paying attention to what kids now are like, which is how he came up with some of his mannerisms.

Of course, another major aspect of Shazam! is the fact that his character, Billy Batson, is actually a foster child, as are the other children in his new home. One fan wanted to know what it was life for him to portray this kind of character, who seems to rarely be represented on-screen.

Levi said, “It was awesome.” Every aspect of getting to be a superhero on the big screen was thrilling to the actor, but he said that truly the “heartbeat” of Shazam! is the “family dynamic and such an incredibly diverse and beautiful rainbow of diversity.” He said that he has never seen a movie before that was so incredibly inclusive. He added that it was actually an honor to be able to help bring this representation to people.

Another fan wanted to know what it was like for the actor actually suiting up to be Shazam. “Mind-blowing” was the best description Levi could offer. He added that “the first time I put the suit on my inner child was losing his mind.” However, at the same time, he said that it also meant that things became very real for him at that moment.  Levi said that he realized “I actually am doing this. This actually is my life.” But on the heels of that revelation, he was quick to worry about being fired, and he was like “please don’t fire me.”

At the same time, it was also a humbling experience for him. As he pointed out, there are not many people who get to take on the role of a superhero. So of course, he wanted to make sure that he honored the character and his legacy.

Levi was also asked what his favorite memory was from filming on Shazam!. Unsurprisingly, he had a hard time answering this. He pointed out that it was actually difficult filming the movie because they did the shoot in Toronto in winter and he made it clear that the “super suit does not keep you warm, nor does it keep you cool inside.”

He said that there were a lot of moments that were awesome to him. He even mentioned being in rigs for flying scenes with Mark Strong, and after the shoot would be over they were just hanging in the air chatting about their day. Specifically for Levi, it is the people who make up his favorite moments because he said that “people are the magic in every project.” Of course, he said “catching the bus was pretty dope too.”

While Shazam! was of course one of the biggest topics discussed throughout his panel, fans did not forget about Chuck or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Specifically, one fan asked him if he could choose between doing another superhero movie or getting to be part of the Chuck series, which would he choose. Levi’s answer was “neither and both.” He said he doesn’t really want to do more of the series itself because it is just too hard. Instead, he would want to do a Chuck movie, and he promised that will happen.

If ever there was an actor who proved that he loves what he does and enjoys making his fans happy and getting them to laugh, it would have to be Zachary Levi. Throughout his panel, he laughed, he made everyone else laugh, he sang, and of course he engaged with the crowd. There was never a dull moment during this Q&A, and that was what made this a memorable panel from start to finish.