ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke with Legion of Super-Heroes star Harry Shum Jr. about the upcoming animated DC film. The actor discussed Brainiac 5’s character and Mortal Kombat. Legion of Super-Heroes arrives on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and digital on February 7, 2023.
“Welcome to the 31st century and the Legion Academy, where a new generation hones their powers with hopes of joining the Legion of Super-Heroes,” reads the film’s synopsis. “Devastated by tragedy, Supergirl struggles to adjust to her new life on Earth. Taking her cousin Superman’s advice, Supergirl leaves their space-time to attend the Academy. There, she quickly makes new friends, as well as a new enemy with old ties: Brainiac 5. But a nefarious plot lurks in the shadows — the mysterious group known as the Dark Circle seeks a powerful weapon held in the Academy’s vault.”
Tyler Treese: Even though this is set in the far future, we see that your character, Brainiac 5, is still facing prejudice. What did you find most interesting about the character and the struggle that he’s in?
Harry Shum Jr.: I think with Brainiac 5, there are a lot of parallels and I don’t think exact ones, but I think just with what we all deal with in some sort of way is that we’re hampered by things that are families or ancestors that have done that are sometimes shameful or sometimes just embarrassing or sometimes even detrimental to society. Like when you look at someone like Brainiac who is trying to destroy our favorite superhero, Superman, you can’t help but feel a certain way when you see a version of him or you hear the name.
I think Brainiac 5 definitely has all that baggage behind him to try to overcome, but at the same time, to try and just shrug off. That’s something really hard to shrug off when that’s in your face all the time. I just loved how Josie Campbell’s, script really dealt with trying to figure out how to explore that a little more within the movie’s universe.
The League of Super-Heroes isn’t the most famous DC property, but it’s very interesting and fun with the school setting. How familiar were you with this team before you got this project?
The team in particular, I wasn’t. I did a lot of research to see what this academy is all about. In a lot of ways, it feels like the rejects or the superheroes that aren’t given a full chance. Even seeing Bouncing Boy — you see a superpower like that and you don’t know what to do with it. And then you see it being utilized in a team setting and it starts to really come together. I love that they put so many resources behind a story like this, especially with the Academy, which like you said, is not one of the more popular ones, but hopefully will become so. I think it speaks to how we’ve just pushed aside the things that should be popular because so many people go through feeling like they don’t belong and feeling like outcasts and all they needed was someone to believe in them and to have a chance.
There are so many great scenes between Brainiac 5 and Supergirl. What did you like most about that dynamic that starts off as antagonistic and, and grows from there?
Yeah, don’t judge a book by its cover. I think that’s a very universal theme. But at the same time, I think what’s really great about this film is that you yourself as a fan or as an audience member watching this, knowing the background of Supergirl and Brainiac 5 to a certain degree, to be able to make a certain judgment already.
So when you see it kind of stray away from it and allow these two to really open themselves up to each other while also fighting with each other and for each other, I thought it was really great to see, especially in something that felt so nostalgic for me watching this film. I’ve watched a lot of DC animated films and I just love how it’s very grounded and rooted in these relationships and these are these things that keep you going as an audience member beyond the fighting and the superhero-ness of it all.
Speaking of great Warner Brothers animated movies, they do a bunch of great Mortal Kombat releases. You appeared as Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat: Legacy. Would you ever want reprise that role in a animated movie in the future?
I’m game for anything that says “get over here!” That was just cool, man. I grew up playing Mortal Kombat — I’m playing Mortal Kombat 11 right now — and it’s these relationships that, as much as we don’t think of Mortal Kombat as relationships, that’s all it is, man. It’s their relationship as a team and banding together to dismantle each other in different ways. I think there’s so much that it’s left to explore in that franchise.
I loved your performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once. What I loved about the Raccacoonie bit is it stars as this hilarious one-off gag and winds up telling this very touching side story by the end. How great was getting to have that full arc there?
It’s great. I mean, the Daniels … they hit me up and told me about the story — I mean, first the bit, and then I was already in. Then they kept telling me about the storyline and then they’re like,” It’s not long, but there’s a lot to chew on.” I kind of rolled my sleeves up. In this universe, he is the protagonist of that universe. And I think we’re all protagonists in our own stories — in our own universe — in a lot of ways. So I just love that they did went from this ridiculous gag to something so heartfelt and really directed it in that way as well.
So I took it very seriously. I think all the actors in all their universes did that, and I think that’s why the film works on the level of being able to be recognized in so many areas of the film. I think everyone had that. I would never have thought that I would be acting with a raccoon — not just in front of me, but on my head and along with Michelle Yeoh on my shoulders. I definitely don’t even believe that it’s real, but yet it is, and I’m so happy that it is.
That scene with Michelle on your shoulders and controlling you has become one of the more iconic shots from the movie. How ridiculous was filming that?
I filmed a martial arts movie with Michelle Yeoh [Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny] and there’s a lot of ridiculousness in that. I don’t think it was meant to be, it was just the fact that we … I remember she hit me a couple of times on it, even though it was by design, and then she would cut and she’d be like, “Oh my God! Are you okay?” And she just completely turned into sweet Michelle. Then knowing that she can be badass Michelle …I think seeing that it was watching this happen in Everything Everywhere All at Once, I was like, “Oh, this is the two worlds combining. It’s really such a beautiful thing.” So she’s goofy, I’m goofy, and everyone else around us was goofy, so it felt very normal.
Ke Huy Quan has been very open about saying Crazy Rich Asians inspired him to come back to acting. How wild is it that your work inspired this legend to come back and have this great run he’s on now?
You know, I think it’s the culmination of everything. You look at Ke’s body of work and it was cut short — very sadly, but we get to see it come back in resurgence. We get to be part of this almost resurgence that … it’s almost like he gave so much to us that everyone else’s work gave it back to him and tenfold. So it’s a really beautiful exchange of everyone just trying to set the stage for the people behind us and how great is it that we get to see someone who influenced us so much while we were growing up finally get on that stage and thank the role for reintroducing him into the world.