Posted in: HBO, streaming, TV | Tagged: Adrian Chase, freddie stroma, james gunn, John Cena, peacemaker, vigilante

Peacemaker: Freddie Stroma Talks Vigilante & His Awkward Team Fit

While the HBO Max DC series Peacemaker focuses on its mentally unstable protagonist Chris Smith (John Cena), who tries to balance life as an ex-convict superhero marred by PTSD on a path to redemption trying to stave off an alien invasion, it's actually the masked partner in Adrian Chase aka Vigilante, played by Freddie Stroma, who ends up being the wildcard. While Vigilante doesn't harbor any superpowers, he's just as tactically trained in weapons and hand-to-hand combat as his hero Chris & tactical specialist Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) as a walk-on member of ARGUS. The one thing that sets him apart from the other two at times is some "uncouth" ways that are tied to his sociopathic personality. Stroma spoke with /Film about what Adrian brought to the table, quirks, how he approached the role, and how he ended up Peacemaker's BFF.

"There are a few moments with him and Harcourt where you think, 'Is this the end?' It is a relief when he comes sauntering back in, like, 'Hey guys!'" Stroma said when asked if he knew his character was going to make it to the end. "[James Gunn's] writing's incredible. You read it and he somehow makes you root for people who you feel like you shouldn't root for, but if there's a worse evil out there, they're the good guys. He's not starting a character off with the "save the cat" moment, but you just suddenly start to be like, 'Oh, okay. I guess I can like this guy.'"

Stroma came to grips early on the lengths of what his character was willing to do upon his first impression. "I just thought he was very funny and odd," he said. "And then, some of the stuff he says, you go, 'Okay, this guy is not …' He's in a weird place on the moral spectrum. You do know that he's a lead that you're following with a team, so you have to be able to like him or find him watchable. I wanted to make sure that you could like him, even though he says and does some atrocious things." He also reconciled the fact the character doesn't really change nor is he the most introspective. "It is funny, he doesn't grow," he explained. "But then at the same time, this is about Peacemaker and his journey. And so, Vig is there to sort of support that, but a lot of people do have their kind of growth. So, Vig is the same Vig. He's not [introspective]. There's that line where it's like, 'The mind is a den of scorpions.' Okay. I don't want to get into this guy's head." For more on Stroma talking about his iconic prison scene confronting white supremacists, Vigilante's confidence, balancing the funny and series, prepping the climactic raid on the barn in the season finale, the character's anti-hero status and relationship with Peacemaker, you can go to /Film.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!