‘Suicide Squad’ Plot & Cast: Jai Courtney ‘Cringed’ About Movie Role, Says Captain Boomerang Character is the ‘Perfect Guy’
Jai Courtney has proven that hard work has its rewards.
The Australian actor has become one of the most in-demand stars in Hollywood, playing key roles in huge movie projects, such as “Die Hard” with Bruce Willis, “Jack Reacher” with Tom Cruise, the “Divergent” franchise, Russell Crowe’s “The Water Diviner and Felony,” and Angelina Jolie’s “Unbroken.”
Now, after portraying the role of Kyle Reese in "Terminator: Genisys," another blockbuster has come his way through DC’s “Suicide Squad.”
“Suicide Squad,” which will be hitting theaters next year, is about a group of villains and misfits, namely, The Joker, Harley Quinn, and Deadshot, among others. Courtney’s character is Captain Boomerang, one of The Flash’s villains, and he is “really excited about it.”
“I had not read a script at all when I signed on,” Courtney told Spotlight Report. “David Ayer and I had met on a couple of occasions and we had spoken. And, to be honest, when he told me that the role of Captain Boomerang was what he was thinking, I, kind of, cringed.”
Courtney’s concern was his unfamiliarity with the DC universe and its history. Apparently, he “wasn't a comic book kid.”
“I knew nothing about it,” he added. “And I was, like, ‘Oh, God. Captain Boomerang… Really?’ I really do not know how Australians will react to this.”
According to Comic Vine, Captain Boomerang, whose real name is George “Digger” Harkness, was named as such after he became the spokesman for a certain toy boomerang company. Before migrating to America, Harkness grew up in Australia, which also happens to be Courtney’s native land, mastering the boomerang and its tricks. It was because of the skills that he had developed that the company chose him to represent them.
Eventually, Harkness turned to crime, shortly after the company realized that its marketing move was actually a terrible idea. He kept the Captain Boomerang moniker and the colorful costume and became the Rogues’ clown after he decided to join them, generally being the annoying member that everyone had to work with.
Although Captain Boomerang was famous for being the funny man among the villains, Ayer, the director of “Suicide Squad,” was able to make Courtney’s character a “dark and gritty” one, which the Australian actor had also described in the Spotlight Report interview as “awesome.”
“Ayer is a stickler for authenticity,” he said. “So, I think what we are going to create is going to be really, really cool. It is funny because, something like that, you want to do it right. It has been interesting finding the balance, but he is the perfect guy to have on your side.”
"Suicide Squad" also stars Margot Robbie, Cara Delevingne, Will Smith, Scott Eastwood and Jared Leto. The film will hit theaters on August 5, 2016.
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