Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam has plenty of elements that are sure to excite hardcore fans of the DC Extended Universe. Something that had many excited early on was the fact that the movie introduces classic DC superhero team the Justice Society of America to the interconnected film franchise. In the movie, one of the heroes on its roster is Atom Smasher, played by Noah Centineo. This was the 26-year-old actor’s first time playing a superpowered being and, as such, he had a cool reaction when he saw his costume for the first time.
Noah Centineo, who got ripped for Black Adam, spoke with CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell about his turn as fresh hero Albert Rothstein. During the conversation, which also included Cyclone actor Quintessa Swindell, talk turned to supersuits. When asked about trying on his Atom Smasher duds for the first time, Centineo revealed that he wasn’t on the set when it happened. However, that didn’t make the moment any less “cool” for him:
Well, it wasn’t on set actually, it was in a fitting, and I was with [costume designers] Kurt [Swanson] and Bart [Mueller] and the team of stylists. And I sat there, they gave it to me. I put the hood on, and they zipped me up, and then I turned and I faced the mirror, and the four-year-old in me just, like, exploded [laughs]. It was so cool, I couldn’t believe it. It was like, ‘Oh my god, this is real. Let’s do it.’And then we showed up on set, and that was a whole different ball game.
Seriously, if you’re an actor, how could you not turn into a kid when trying on a superhero suit for the first time? Many of us grow up reading about classic comic book characters and even dressing up as them. But getting to wear a legitimate outfit for a massive production like this one has to be a whole other level of crazy. It’s great to hear that the To All the Boys star was able to have such a truly sweet moment.
Noah Centineo’s enthusiasm is actually very similar to that of his DCEU character. This time last year, Black Adam producer Hiram Garcia explained that Atom Smasher would be established as one of the JSA’s newer (and younger) members. With that, Albert seeks to prove himself to two of the organization’s veterans: Carter Hall/Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) and Kent Nelson/Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan). That youthful energy is something that makes this version of Albert different from his comics counterpart, which is something that Centineo pointed out a while ago.
The Charlie’s Angels alum seemed to enjoy his time working on the big-budget superhero flick and had nothing but praise for leading man Dwayne Johnson. In his estimation, Johnson is a class act, who is “99 percent more present than most people.” That’s high praise, for sure,and it probably helped create a positive work environment during the film shoot.
Should things work out in their favor, the stars could be working together for quite some time. It’s possible that we could see a Black Adam sequel, and The Rock told CinemaBlend that he wants his powerful character to go up against Superman in such a film. Noah Centineo and co. could even return for a Justice Society-centered movie franchise. That’s mostly speculation of course but, still, I’d be surprised if this were to be the only time that Centineo ever gets to suit up as Atom Smasher.
Black Adam is now playing in theaters (and is one of the biggest titles on the schedule of upcoming movies). Be sure to also keep an eye out for other DC movies that are dropping in the near future.
