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Levi opens up about physical change for 'Shazam!'

IANS  |  Los Angeles 

Actor Zachary Levi says he underwent physical transformation for "Shazam!", but not because he was asked to by the makers of the superhero movie.

"I'm really grateful that nobody at Warner Bros., DC, New Line said, 'You've got to be in a certain shape to do this', as far as physical appearance is concerned. But they did say they wanted to make sure that I could physically do all the things that they were going to need me to do, to which I was like, 'Yeah, yeah, me too'," Levi said in a statement.


The actor said he has been "in the gym basically six days a week for certainly the last year".

"Maybe even a little bit longer, 14 months or so, eating thousands and thousands of calories a day. That's actually the hardest part of it. The gym I'm addicted to and I love, and I can't wait to get to the gym every day. I just feel that even from a mental health perspective, it's so healthy for you," he added.

Levi said he is "stronger and healthier" than he has ever been in his life.

"Lifting more and more, and getting more and more definition in my body. Going to the gym literally releases so many healthy endorphins and makes your head and your heart feel so much better. The entire transformation has been really awesome, and I keep going.


Set firmly in the DC universe with his own distinctly fun, family-centric tone, the superhero film is a story of wish fulfilment. Teen orphan Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is granted the ability by an ancient wizard to transform into a super-powered adult with strength, invincibility, flight and other powers -- all by saying the wizard's name: Shazam.

In Billy Batson's case, by shouting out one word "Shazam", the streetwise 14-year-old foster child can turn into the adult superhero Shazam (Levi). The Warner Bros Pictures project will release in India on Friday.






First Published: Fri, April 05 2019. 17:36 IST