Michael Shannon stars as serial killer Richard Kuklinski in The Iceman and as General Zod in Man Of Steel (Picture: Getty)

Michael Shannon, 38, was nominated for an Oscar for 2009’s Revolutionary Road. He now stars in The Iceman and Superman movie Man Of Steel.

We just saw you in Mud and now you have two new films out at once. You’re everywhere. I shot The Iceman and Man Of Steel a while ago so it’s kind of weird that they’re coming out so close together in Britain but it’s OK. Didn’t that happen to Jessica Chastain recently when all her films came out together?

In The Iceman you play Mafia hit man and serial killer Richard Kuklinski. What’s the value of starring in and making such a chilling film? The value of movies in general is always highly subjective. I know Kuklinski was a very brutal and violent human being but I guess I found him compelling because he held tenderness for his family deep within himself; a desire to be a normal person with a home, providing for his family. It probably wasn’t all daffodils and sunshine but I think his desire for that was pretty sincere.



Does a character like that get under your skin? Movies are always an illusion. I didn’t really do anything. I didn’t actually kill anyone so I don’t even really know what that experience is, it’s just an approximation. It’s still as much of a mystery to me as when I started.


Is it true you talked to Kate Winslet during the Oscars in an accidental British accent? Yes, just for one sentence. I think I said: ‘You’re going to win’ or ‘You’ve got this in the bag’. I didn’t even realise I was doing the accent. My girlfriend caught me doing it. Kate’s award was a little late in the show and we were all a bit loopy.

Did she look at you like you were a bit loopy? A wee bit, yes.

You’ve called Man Of Steel ‘pant-wettingly good’. Really? Yes! I was so excited to see it, and surprised at the gravity. People are surprised by how powerful it is. I was wondering for months what the final product would be like and, for me, finally seeing it was like Christmas morning.

You reprise Terence Stamp’s role as General Zod. Do you remember seeing him in Superman and Superman II? Oh yes, he was very frightening. I have a proper reverence for him and those films. Someone told me that he had enquired about playing the role again. I don’t know if that’s an urban myth.

If this is your evil phase, is there anything fluffier in your future? I have a Funny Or Die video [Michael Shannon Reads The Insane Delta Gamma Sorority Letter.] It’s an email sent by a sorority sister at the University of Maryland that went viral. I felt very honoured to be chosen to read that letter. Funny Or Die probably could have got a variety of people to do it because it was such a sensation.

Is it true you worry the world is ending? I think there are a lot of issues. I don’t think it’s a great time to be Planet Earth. And that Keystone Pipeline in Canada scares the bejesus out of me. It’s pretty horrifying. I really hope that doesn’t get done.



You’ve said you bore yourself sometimes. How are you boring? I think any actor is susceptible to that. Most people don’t spend this amount of time talking about themselves. It’s a little inorganic. One of the reasons I got into acting in the first place is I like being other people, so when you’re in a situation where you have to be yourself for a long time it can get tedious.

Your parents were in solid professions – law and accounting. Was there much resistance when you said you wanted to be an actor? There was resistance on all fronts but they came around pretty fast, especially my dad. He’d see my play reviews in Chicago in the papers. It didn’t take him long to think I had at least an inkling of a chance to make it.

You’ve done three plays in Britain so you’ve spent some time here. What do you like about it? The pond in St James’s Park. I’ve walked round it twice today already in the rain. I’ve got very fond memories of London. When I did Killer Joe in the West End, I’d go to The Green Room [actors’ club] and to Bar Italia in Soho to get a sandwich. I went into Bar Italia yesterday for the time in about 20 years and it looked just the same.

You’re in a band called Corporal. Where do you find the time? You’re right about that. I started the band when we had a lot more free time. We do make an effort to get together and we’re doing a big show in Chicago on July 29 if anyone wants to fly over.


You’re so much nicer than most of the characters you portray. Are people surprised when they meet you? I think so. I’m not the big bully everyone seems to think I am.

The Iceman is in cinemas from tomorrow. Man Of Steel is out on Jun 14.