Michael Shannon interview: The Midnight Special actor discusses 'badass' director Jeff Nichols, Zack Snyder and HBO's Boardwalk Empire

"I want a lot of the same things that most people going to the movies want"

Midnight Special

The only thing more curious than actor Michael Shannon is meeting Michael Shannon.

The towering, bug-eyed man of half smiles may exude an air of hesitancy when posed questions about projects, ranging from new sci-fi drama Midnight Special to upcoming biography Elvis & Nixon, but it's not hesitance.

Instead, it's an insistence to painstakingly mull over what you've asked so as to answer in as honest - and original - a way as possible.

Midnight Special follows a father and son who go on the run after learning his child possesses special powers. The film marks the fourth collaboration between the Kentucky-born actor and his director Jeff Nichols following Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter and Mud; they've even filmed another - Loving, a drama following an imprisoned interracial marriage couple).

We spoke with Shannon about Nichols, his "respect" for Zack Snyder and whether he'd consider appearing in a Boardwalk Empire prequel.

What is Jeff Nichols bringing to the table that other Hollywood directors aren’t?

I think Jeff is a good example of the old axiom - well, maybe the axiom I made up - that it’s worth it to stick to your guns. Because what I think people really respond to with Jeff’s movies is they’re a singular vision; he doesn’t allow anyone to come in and go “well, this is great and this part’s a little confusing and maybe if you did this, people would like it more.” He just doesn’t allow that to happen. The guy walks into Warner Bros and says “this is my script, this is what iI’m gonna shoot - I get final cut. I really wanna work with you guys but if that’s not cool, I’ll go drop it somewhere else.” That’s pretty badass.

His films seem to stand for something completely opposite to the influx of superhero films currently taking over cinema - both Marvel and DC have films slated through to 2025.

[laughs] we might not even be here.

It is a slightly optimistic thought. Having starred in one yourself [Man of Steel], what are your views on superhero films' impact on cinema?

I respect those guys too. I mean, look, I have a ton of respect for Zack Snyder. I loved working with him on Man of Steel. I think his films have their own unique style and he’s very authentically drawn to that. It’s not like he makes those movies but secretly wishes he was doing something else - that’s what he wants to do. It’s valid. When we were making Man of Steel, I really appreciated the story: it’s about a civilisation that destroys their own planet. I’m like “well, that’s relevant.” So what, the planet’s called krypton? It’s still relevant.

Moving onto HBO series Boardwalk Empire. Your character Nelson Van Alden was a standout. Did he initially seem so?

I didn’t know what was gonna happen. That was uncharted waters for me. I didn’t - when I went in to meet with Terence Winter and Mr. Scorsese, I turned to Terence and I said, “I’m assuming I’m here because you want me to play some thug or something.” He said, “no, I want you to be the prohibition agent - you're the avenging righteous prohibition agent who really wants to see justice done.” I was really seduced by that, excited about it and, of course, if I had been maybe a little brighter, I would have seen it coming that basically a character like that exists in order to be toppled.

You know, with TV, you just don’t know. It’s a void. It’s like you enter into a void and you just kind of wait to see what comes your way. I had no idea - it’s not like I got the bible for the show that outlined everything. I didn’t know what was going to happen from episode to episode more than anyone else did. So it was an interesting experience. I’m not sure I’d do it again but I’m glad that, if I was going to do a TV show, that’s the one I did.

So you wouldn’t consider a Van Alden prequel?

A prequel! Jesus, yeah, seeing his childhood. They’ve not called me about it.

Playing Elvis Presley opposite Kevin Spacey must have been an unusual experience [Elvis & Nixon will be released later this year].

That was great. We did it a while ago. I loved it. I was not a huge Elvis fanatic beforehand; I was familiar with it but I was more into later forms of music. I was very intimidated by the prospect of playing Elvis and I needed a lot of help, but I got to meet Jerry Schilling who was one of Elvis’ closest friends. He spent a lot of time me and we went down to Memphis together; he was kind of like my coach during the thing. He was great because not many people knew more about Elvis than Jerry did. He would just keep giving me reassurances that I was getting the job done.

In terms of acting opposite Kevin, that was thrilling to do. I’ve been watching him for years. We had no idea who was going top play Nixon, and when he signed on, we were all just excited because we really couldn't have asked for a better Nixon.

Personally, what do you look for when a script comes through the door?

[long pause] It’s hard. It's like... I guess I want [even longer pause] - I think I want a lot of the same things that most people going to the movies want. I want to be surprised, I want to be curious about the characters. I want to feel like I’m seeing something that I haven’t seen a thousand times before. I think it’s really that simple,. You look for originality, you look for a vision - something with a vision that’s beyond… there’s just so much formula to this business. People have figured out formulas that work and they just keep regurgitating them and I like to see people take risks. Scripts like Midnight Special - it’s a risk. It’s a thrilling experiment. You don't read Midnight Special and think it’s definitely one hundred percent bullet proof and everyone’s going to love it. I like a high degree of difficulty and a challenge… and a risk.

Midnight Special is released nationwide today. Elvis & Nixon will be released in the UK on 24 June.