When it comes to recent Hollywood villains, there’s no one dominating the roles quite like Ben Mendelsohn. And the actor certainly seems keen on Captain Marvel and the superhero genre.
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While Mendelsohn has been working steadily in the business since the ’80s, his recent turn as the bad guy in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Orson Krennic), Ready Player One (Sorrento), and the newly released Robin Hood (Sheriff of Nottingham) is bringing him up in the villainous ranks.
We now place him alongside villian legends such as Christoph Waltz and Alan Rickman (who also played the Sheriff of Nottingham in 1991’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves).
Mendelsohn’s next venture into onscreen villainy will be in the highly anticipated Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Captain Marvel. Mendelsohn will be playing Talos, a Skrull, which are a race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Mendelsohn discussed the upcoming film and the impact of superhero movies, in general.
“I think we have something really special here, and that all comes from a finely crafted script, it’s absolutely beautiful,” Mendelsohn said of Captain Marvel.
When it came to the question of whether or not there’s over-saturation in the superhero genre, the actor doesn’t think so.
“If you look at the business of movie-making, as both a business and art, comic book films have the best chance of making a big cultural and artistic impact,” he explained.
Marvel movies have yet to lose steam, with three set for 2019 alone (Captain Marvel, Avengers 4, and Spider-Man: Far From Home). “We might be able to get a masterpiece or three out of this superhero genre,” he added.
When discussing the fact that Captain Marvel is the first MCU film to star a woman, the actor noted he’s a major fan. “Obviously this is a big moment for Marvel, and hopefully a sweeping change for inclusion and diversity in the industry,” he said.
The film is also the very first in the MCU to be directed by a woman, Anna Boden, who is sharing the role with her longtime partner, Ryan Fleck. In fact, Mendelsohn worked with them before on 2015’s Mississippi Grind.
“The thing I like most about the film, other than reuniting with Anna and Ryan,” Mendelsohn explained, “is that I get to work with just about everyone.”
According to him, “that’s the beauty of being the antagonist.”
You can see Ben Mendelsohn on the big screen in Robin Hood today, and in Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019.
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