Zachary Levi has been keeping in shape (Picture: Warner Bros)

Zachary Levi says his tough fitness regime for Shazam!, which includes going to the gym six nights a week, helps keeps him young. We are not worthy.

The actor stars in DC’s latest blockbuster as the superhero alter ego of a young boy who can transform by saying the word ‘shazam’.

Zachary loved working with the young cast and said his own youthful energy was down to ‘taking care of myself’ and ‘being a big kid’ at heart.

But he hasn’t totally given up on indulging, of course.


Speaking at the film’s premiere on Wednesday night, Zachary told Metro.co.uk: ‘I’ve been in the gym for six days a week for the last year and a half and eating reasonably healthy all of the time. Still enjoy some pizza and some tequila, don’t get me wrong!



That’s kind of helped keep me young. And my whole life I’ve been a big kid, honestly.

He plays the super hero alter ego of a young boy who can turn into Shazam at will (Picture: Warner Bros)

‘I love video games and comic books, and movies about video games and comic books. I think it’s important that we don’t lose the parts of us that are the good parts of being a kid, the parts that do keep you young: your imagination, your lust for life.

I love feeling joy and bringing joy. I’ve always been that way.

‘The fact that I get to do this and my job is playing make-believe which ends up on a big screen, and a bunch of kids and adults and family and anybody and everybody can go and watch that, and feel like they’re walking a foot off the ground when they leave and feeling a little bit better about life. All that stuff keeps me young.’

Zachary with co-star Mark Strong at the film’s London premiere

Before the film’s release the actor made headlines for his comments after so-called fans pitted Shazam! against Brie Larson’s own superhero flick Captain Marvel.

He explained: ‘I didn’t feel like I was defending Captain Marvel, I was defending what is true.

‘It doesn’t matter that we’re both in the theatres at the same time. Obviously everybody’s talking about the box office and blah blah blah, but my job is to do the very best I can as an actor, and bring the character to life then go sell the movie as best I can.

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‘But I believe part of our job is to be the very best human being that we can be. And when we see something that’s not true, I believe it is our responsibility to, as kindly as possible, and as lovingly as possible, to call out that lie and say – that is not true, I will not stand for that being spread.

‘Particularly, and this is why I gave it my attention, those people were tagging me in their hate posts [on Twitter]. So I saw them and I was like, well that’s a lie…that’s a lie…that’s defamatory, you shouldn’t say those things.

‘And because I was brought into it, I felt it was necessary. I have a platform, I’m gonna speak the truth.’

Shazam! is out 5 April. A Shazam!-themed super-powered funfair will run Thursday and Friday at Bernie Spain Gardens on London’s Southbank.

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