"Playing a superhero would be amazing – but a big risk!"
Himesh Patel plays 'The First Assistant Director'
HBO
- Michael Hodges
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Were you a superhero fan growing up?
I was a nerdy ten- or 11-year-old when the CGI world of superhero movies arrived; X-Men, Spider-Man — I was the demographic for those movies. There’s just such a nostalgia about it for me; the smell of the cinema, the Pearl and Dean music. I just adore it.
Have you heard any stories about superhero sets yourself?
I made a film last year called The Assessment with Elizabeth Olsen [who’s played Wanda Maximoff in several Marvel films]. I had just shot the pilot for The Franchise and was telling her about it. She had some stories that I won’t reveal, but she certainly had some experiences on Marvel. And it seems like it goes with the territory, there’s going to be a certain level of madness to the process.
Your character, Daniel, keeps the show on the road…
I agree with what Dan says in the show. When movies like this are good, there’s nothing better — I went to see Avengers: Endgame at the big Odeon in Leicester Square with a full audience and it was amazing. All those moments that make people gasp.
Would you like to be a screen superhero?
Something like that would be amazing. But it’s also a risk, isn’t it? You never know whether it’s going to be good or not. And I assume the price you pay for being well reimbursed is that they have a certain control over your life. I wouldn’t take it lightly.
Is it time for a South Asian superhero?
It would make things more interesting. Black Panther was such a breath of fresh air. But I imagine that if Marvel decided to have a South Asian superhero from India, Pakistan or wherever, they’d cast a huge Bollywood star.
As your career develops, do you fear becoming one of the monstrous egos that populate The Franchise?
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Maybe having a grounding in EastEnders keeps things in perspective, but I also have people in my life who won’t let me go off and become a monster. But let’s see…
Authors
Michael Hodges
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