Actress María Gabriela de Faría is set to make her DC Universe debut in James Gunn’s Superman, and she recently spoke with ComicBook about the demanding process of preparing for the role of The Engineer. The character, also known as Angela Spica, is a foundational member of the super-team known as The Authority and possesses a complex powerset rooted in nanotechnology that allows her to interface with and manipulate machinery. Bringing such a unique hero to the screen for the first time required an in-depth creative process, which the actress developed in close collaboration with director Gunn to establish the nuances of the performance. Her appearance in the film is expected to be a major stepping stone for the future of the DCU, laying the groundwork for The Authority‘s feature film.
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“That was something I started to work on with the training, at the gym,” de Faría told us about finding the core of her character. “I started training for this eight months before principal photography began. And going through that hardship really helped me prepare mentally. I would be at the gym three hours every day, and I would send James videos, like ‘I feel this is how she walks.’ It must feel heavy in her body.” This physical transformation was directly linked to the hero’s internal struggle, a conflict between her organic self and her mechanical abilities.
“The more she interacts with machines, the more she becomes a machine herself,” de Faría explained. “And I feel that humanity gets a little bit lost every time she does that. Inside of her, I feel there are like two wolves, the machine and the human who really, really tries to still be there. But the human feels, the human has a conscience, the human has a heart. So when she has to work for Lex and get to those goals that she believes are the right thing for humanity, the human cannot be around. It has to be the machine. So, it was a lot about that strength and how that feels in the body.”
“When she connects to the machine, is it tickling? Am I feeling punctures? What is this?” de Faría added, recalling the questions she had to ask to properly bring the Engineer to life in Superman. “With James, we really came to that together, and it was a great creative process to play kind of a machine like that.”
In the source material, particularly in Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch’s influential run on The Authority, Angela Spica’s powers come from nine pints of liquid machinery that have replaced her blood. This nanotechnology allows her to do incredible things, such as constructing complex devices from her own body, creating protective armor, and communicating with any form of technology, making the physical sensation of those powers a core part of her existence.
Will The Engineer Have a Future in the DCU?
During the interview, de Faría also confirmed she has had discussions about the character’s long-term trajectory in the DCU, even if the details remain secret. “He [James Gunn] gives me breadcrumbs,” she said. “Because I do ask and he keeps texting me, like, winky emojis. And he’s like, ‘No, I have a great idea.’” The actress seemed excited about the possibilities, joking, “And I’m like, ‘Ok, as long as I get to be in Peacemaker Season 3. Just a tiny scene.’”
Originally announced by James Gunn in January 2023 as one of his “real passion projects,” the DCU film The Authority is now on the “back burner” and no longer in active development. This significant shift is due to what Gunn described as “unprecedented development challenges,” including the difficulty of making the project stand out in a world with shows about ultraviolent superheroes, such as The Boys and Invincible. Still, the project has not been scrapped, and might even become an animated feature in the future. Regardless of what happens to The Authority, de Faría is expected to return as the Engineer in a future project.
Superman is scheduled to fly into theaters on July 11th.
What are you most excited to see from María Gabriela de Faría’s portrayal of The Engineer? Let us know in the comments!
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Image courtesy of Lucasfilm.
