Posted in: HBO, Max, TV | Tagged: peacemaker

Peacemaker Star Freddie Stroma Dives Into What Makes Vigilante Tick

Peacemaker star Freddie Stroma on taking over the role of Adrian Chase aka Vigilante on the HBO Max/DC Studios series, Season 2, and more.

When Freddie Stroma was cast in HBO Max's Peacemaker as Adrian Chase aka Vigilante, he was a late addition, taking over Chris Conrad in the role. The character is an aspiring crimefighter who looks up to Chris Smith (John Cena) as the pair, as a part of A.R.G.U.S., battle an alien threat in an operation called Project Butterfly in season one. Fortunately for Stroma, Conrad was in costume for the majority of his Vigilante scenes, so additional ADR work had to be done during filming. The Evergreen star spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the upcoming season of Peacemaker, how James Gunn exercised some liberties on the George Pérez and Marv Wolfman-created character, some of his season two scenes with Cena, filling in during season one, and what scenes had to be redone.

Peacemaker Star Freddie Stroma on Stepping Up to Play Vigilante

When asked if Adrian is a sociopath, "Yeah, it's a tough one. I don't have the qualifications to be able to give a label, whether it's psychopath, whether it's sociopath, whether it's on the spectrum, whether it's — I don't really know," Stroma said. "I've had a lot of people come up to me and say that they think — they know he's on the spectrum. And I always respond that I can't really answer that question. Honestly, I don't have the expertise."

On whether Stroma's character is asexual, "Kind of. When I read [Adrian's reaction to the season two orgy scene], it kind of made sense to me. I can't really remember, but there a scene in season one of Chris seeing [Adrian] in the shower and makes fun of his, like, small penis," he said. "There was some (response) line, I can't remember what it was, but [Adrian] just sounded like someone who was completely unbothered — he just didn't care. It was just like he doesn't even really like sex. So, [it made sense] that he wants to do an orgy because he wants to bond with his friend, not for the sex."

As far as creative changes on Vigilante's shift from more traditional crimefighter, "That was all James. When I auditioned for it and booked it, I started reading up on the Vigilante comics. And then I got the script, and very, very quickly realized that they're not the same character at all," Stroma said. "[In the comics], he's level-headed. He's a very standard guy. Literally, his name is Vigilante. He's a [district attorney] and he fights crime. It's a pretty straightforward character. And then the one in Peacemaker is just basically James's creation. So it was that way on the page."

When it came to Stroma's predecessor, "Yeah, there was another actor (Chris Conrad) who played the role for the first, I think, five of the eight episodes, and then it was a recast. So, it was all kind of a weird situation where I was in an audition, and [they had] made up a different character's name for the sides," he said. "And then I had a phone call with James, and he was trying to figure out what was doable, whether we could do ADR lines over (the scene) if the mask is on. It was during COVID, so once I booked it, I flew to Vancouver and quarantined for two weeks, and then came out and continued the schedule with everyone else onwards. I would go with a splinter unit, and James would join me, and we'd reshoot the scenes without the mask."

Regarding any complications that arose in the process, "We kind of realized that the sound just didn't quite work. Then I went and redid everything again, but with the mask on, so it sounds like I was speaking through the mask. That was definitely a different kind of situation for me, because usually in ADR, you're either matching your own performance, or you're maybe trying to…enhance it," Stroma said. "This was a complete creative— I had to perform the scenes, but I also had to perform it exactly to (Conrad's) movement. And, you know, you obviously (try to) hit certain words with the body language. It was an interesting thing to do, but it was fun."

You can check out the full interview for more on Stroma talking about making his Vigilante in season one work, playing Peacemaker in Mortal Kombat I, Eagly, Harry Potter, Tim Meadows, and the season two opening dance. Peacemaker, which also stars Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Robert Patrick, and Frank Grillo, streams Fridays on HBO Max.

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