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Joe Manganiello: Not bothered if my Slade is compared with the portrayal on Arrow
Actor Joe Manganiello, who’ll be seen as Slade Wilson/Deathstroke in the Justice League franchise, says that he isn’t surprised by the very positive fan response to a post-credit teaser in the first Justice League film.
American actor-producer Joe Manganiello, who will play the role of Slade Wilson/Deathstroke in the upcoming Justice League movies, is not bothered if fans “end up” comparing his portrayal of the popular anti-hero with the portrayal of the same character by Manu Bennett on the popular TV show Arrow.
“It is absolutely none of my concern, and I am not bothered if people end up comparing the two of us. I haven’t seen Arrow, or the actor who plays Slade on the show, nor do I intend to watch the show at all,” says the 41-year-old, who has done a lot of work for both cinema and TV.
Manganiello insists that this is just like any other role. “Honestly, it’s no different than a theatre role — I mean, for example, when you’re doing theatre, and you’re playing a character that has been played by various other actors. Playing Slade is similar to that. So, as an actor, you’re not bothered about comparisons. I’ll try to do my best and play the character my way, and hope that people like it,” he adds.
Last seen in the American science-fiction monster film Rampage, Manganiello was also not surprised by the “positive” fan reaction after the post-credit scenes in last year’s Justice League revealed him as Deathstroke.
“A funny thing had happened way before that, actually,” he says. “When we were testing Slade Wilson’s armour, a few images and scenes were leaked on the Internet. Fans had gone crazy then, and were really excited about it then. So, when they got to see me as Slade in Justice League, I wasn’t surprised to see the same reaction again. I knew they had loved it before already.”
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