Black Adam has been a long time coming for Dwayne Johnson, who was first linked to the project well over a decade ago. In the time since, he’s not only worked to get the project made but to also understand who the revered character is. The actor sought to truly embody the DC Comics antihero, and it would seem that he succeeded in doing so. This is partially based on the reactions that many fans have had to his performance. And it’s also evident due to what was shared by his co-star, Quintessa Swindell, who opened about the moment they stopped seeing The Rock and only saw the character.
In the movie, Quintessa Swindell plays the role of Maxine Hunke /Cyclone, a younger member of classic superhero team the Justice Society of America – which comes into conflict with The Rock’s antihero. With this, the actor got to spend quite a bit of time with the leading man during production. Swindell, alongside co-star Noah Centineo, recently spoke with CinemaBlend’s Sean O’Connell during the Black Adam press junket. And during the interview, Swindell revealed it didn’t take long for them to see Johnson as his character:
Oh, from the first time I saw him in the suit. … I think the way that he kind of has melted and blended himself into this character is just amazing. And so, you know, like Noah said, a little bit is… You know, when we were all there together, it was incredible. It’s like, ‘Okay, you know, this is like someone completely different and a side of DJ that we may not have seen before.’ And it’s intimidating, just naturally, and very cool. And just, you know, he’s incredible to work with. So you know, it was amazing.
I don’t know about any of you, but I’d probably think the same if I saw The Rock roll up on set in his superhero costume. What’s funny is that the wrestler-turned-actor is a pretty intimidating individual as is, so the thought of him walking around in a superhero costume is pretty daunting, and one could easily conflate him with the character when seeing him. One would also imagine that amid filming, that the star attempts to put himself in a mental state similar to that of his character. And if that was indeed the case, he was probably quite intense.
It can definitely be said that Dwayne Johnson has given his all to the character, especially when it comes to the physicality. By 2020, Johnson had already shown off his muscles ahead of the start of production. And the next year, it seemed like just couldn’t stop working out amid the Black Adam shoot. Needless to say, this whole thing was the realization of a dream for the star, and it seems he was more than willing to share it with his co-stars.
Quintessa Swindell appears to have really enjoyed working with The Rock, as did Noah Centineo. While discussing the lead actor, Centineo called him a class act, who makes an effort to be as present as possible while on set. Many would probably agree that that’s something you definitely need in a leader.
Of course, his co-stars deserve plenty of credit as well. Quintessa Swindell deserves much credit for their fun performance as Cyclone and, if there is any justice (sorry) in the world, they’ll get to headline a Justice Society film franchise. There’s plenty that can still be done with the young hero and, with time, Swindell can dive deeper into the character as Dwayne Johnson is hoping to do as well.
Black Adam is now playing in theaters, and be sure to stay up to date when it comes to upcoming DC movies.
