Why It's So Fun To Play A Villain, According To Heels' Stephen Amell And Alexander Ludwig
Spoilers below for the third episode of Starz's Heels, so be warned!
For its third outing, the wrestling-imbued cable drama Heels brought a legitimate wrestler into the mix with former WWE superstar and current AEW fave CM Punk as the blood-loving Ricky Rabies. As awesome as that appearance was, the biggest moment for the show's central story involved Alexander Ludwig's Ace Spade finally giving into the advice from Stephen Amell's Jack that he should just embrace the fan backlash and the screwjob by becoming a villain within the DWL. Now we've got both Spade brothers truly living up to the show's title.
When I had the pleasure of talking to both Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig ahead of Heels' premiere on Starz, I brought up the episode "Cheap Heat" and Amell's glorious mic skills in the ring, and asked both actors what makes it fun to play a villain. Here's how Amell answered:
Not everybody knows how to pull off wordy wrestling promos with memorable results, even within a company like the WWE, but Stephen Amell does a damned good job of it in Heels' third episode. It's reminiscent of classic superstar villains like Ravishing Rick Rude and the wordsmith Ric Flair, and is all the more impressive to watch "Jack Spade" go from being an asshole in the ring to being slightly less of one outside the ring. (Pay attention to your wife more, Jack!) It makes sense, given Amell's history with the WWE in particular, but still fun to watch it play out.
While Stephen Amell answered things more from a personal acting perspective, Alexander Ludwig spoke to both the psychological underpinning behind the joy of acting out villainy, while also speaking to how it relates to his character Ace. In his words:
Considering Ace was already living pretty loosely before his big heel turn, one can only expect the character will get into even more debauchery in upcoming episodes. I certainly hope Kelli Burgland's Crystal doesn't get caught up and twisted in his wheels as he spins out.
Heels airs on Starz on Sunday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET, and it's just one of many awesome new shows hitting the 2021 Fall TV season, so be sure to stay up to date!
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Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper. Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.