Zachary Levi Pugh is well known for his roles in various projects but gained significant praise for his performance as Chuck Bartowski in the TV series Chuck. He is also well known for portraying the titular character in the movie Shazam! and its 2023 follow-up as part of the DC Extended Universe.
Zachary Levi continues to engage with fans through conventions. He recently appeared as a guest at the Chicago Fan Expo on Saturday while maintaining his presence as the star of Shazam: Fury of the Gods. Levi faced criticism after his remarks at the Manchester Comic-Con in the UK earlier this month. During the event, he referred to the SAG-AFTRA strike regulations as “dumb” because he couldn’t discuss his prior film and TV works for obvious reasons.
Zachary Levi Supported the Writer’s and Acror’s Strikes and Expressed His Frustration on Hollywood
The star of one of the year’s biggest flops (Shazam 2) asked attendees at Chicago Fan Expo to “actively not choose” crap movies. This is not it. He also called the whole industry (Hollywood) “garbage.” While voicing his support for strikes, Zachary Levi expressed his frustration with the industry, and no doubt his comments were reportedly well-received by the event attendees. The actor said:
“I personally feel like the amount of content that comes out of Hollywood that is garbage — they don’t care enough to actually make it great for you guys. They don’t.
How many times do you watch a trailer and go, ‘Oh my god, this looks so cool!’ Then you go to the movie and it’s like, ‘This was what I get?'”
He further added,
“They know that once you’ve already bought the ticket and you’re in the seat, they’ve got your money. And the only way for us to change any of it is to not go to the garbage. We have to actively not choose the garbage. It’ll help. It’ll help a lot.”
Now it’s well to be noted that he might be indirectly criticizing Marvel and DC movies in these comments.
Was Zachary Levi Criticizing Marvel and DC Movies Indirectly at Chicago Fan Expo?
While Levi’s comments may have been positively received by the attendees at his panel, the online fans of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) are speculating that he has indirectly criticized Warner Bros.
Clearly, Shazam: Fury of the Gods didn’t achieve the desired box office success for both Levi and Warner Bros, which is why the Shazam! actor has been very vocal about criticism ever since his movie flopped. He has also been saying stuff about DCU but has been smart enough not to name anyone, just like Gunn. However, it can easily be identified that he was maybe addressing DC and Marvel movies as “garbage” in the event.
Levi’s statement is open to interpretation. Some might view it as a veiled criticism aimed at WarnerBros., given the context of the DCEU’s performance. On the other side, it could also be seen as a general comment addressing the complexities of Hollywood blockbusters. The context is still unclear, and Levi is the only one who knows the intention behind his words.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
