Deadpool 2: Lewis Tan On Being Shatterstar [Exclusive Interview]

Die hard fans having been waiting for the arrival of the X-Force.

Now we get the glimpse of the X-Force team in the recently released Deadpool 2.

Comic book fans didn’t just salivated over the appearance of Cable, Firefist, Domino and a very popular X-Men villain, but the assembling of the X-Force team. The new heroic team included comic favorites of Shatterstar, Zeitgeist, Bedlam, Vanisher and newly introduced Peter.

It’s most surprising is what the X-Force will go through in the film, which will not be spoiled here.

LRM Online did catch up with actor Lewis Tan, who played Shattersar in Deadpool 2, at the Frank & Son Collectible Show outside of Los Angeles this past weekend. Since the film is already, we talked about light spoilers, X-Force and the direction for his character.

Deadpool 2 is currently playing in theaters. Go see it!

Please be warned there are light spoilers in our exclusive interview. Read the interview transcript below.

LRM: Tell me about the auditioning process. Did you actually know what you’re auditioning for this film?

Lewis Tan: I knew about the film. I knew that I was auditioning for a Deadpool film, Deadpool 2. I didn’t know what character. David Leitch, the director, didn’t put out a casting for all those roles. It was very, very secretive. I didn’t know the name. They use fake names, so I was reading for a character named Asteroid. But, David Leitch basically reached out to me. He knows about me and my work. He’s friends with my family. He reached out to me and said, “Hey, I think I have something for you. It’s really special.” And of course, I was in. I didn’t even need to really know what it was.

LRM: So what was your initial reaction when you first heard it was Shatterstar?

Lewis Tan: I was overwhelmed. I think I was just silent for like a few hours and then I just immediately got on the Internet started doing as much research as possible. I remembered having a toy as a kid. There were roots of Shatterstar in my mind. I didn’t know much about his backstory, which turned out to be like a very complex, interesting backstory. It’s an honor to play him.

LRM: When you actually got the part and read the script, were you kind of surprise on how much of a role he has in his film?

Lewis Tan: They didn’t give me the whole script. Like I said, it’s very secretive. So you only get parts of the script. Even dialogue on the day changes. Ryan does a lot of improv. I didn’t really know exactly where it was going. I just know it’s Deadpool that anything could happen. It’s going to be crazy. Hopefully, we get to see a X-Force and some of the other films as well.

LRM: How did it feel to put on the costume for Shatterstar?

Lewis Tan: It was incredible. They made the costume perfect for my body, so I basically stripped down to measure everything so it was perfect fit. It’s such an iconic costume in the way they threw it back to the nineties style [They] kept it true to the comic book. I think it’s a perfect fit for Deadpool. Deadpool is such a tongue in cheek, kind of rude, anything goes. There’s no rules. They break all the rules. I think it’s a perfect outfit for that. I loved wearing it except for the wig that was a little bit heavy. When I was using the swords, it was kind of hard to navigate the hair. But, it did look good.

LRM: Now, if you’ve done a lot of action scenes before on your previous projects. Were you kind of disappointed that there wasn’t enough action scenes for Shatterstar?

Lewis Tan: Well, I’ll say this–we shot a bunch of stuff. We’ll see what happens with that material. Either it’ll be out in a special features or we’ll save that for the X-Force film. A lot of people wanting to see Shatterstar to use the swords and go crazy. If they know me and my martial arts background–they know that I have the ability to do all that. I think that will see it in the future. The scene that did play out in Deadpool is one of my favorite scenes. I think it’s a comedy gold.

LRM: Do you improv? Can you can actually go toe to toe with [Ryan Reynolds]?

Lewis Tan: I would never go toe to toe with Ryan Reynolds unless we were just like sparring in the gym or something. He’s pretty jacked for that film as well. So maybe I wouldn’t even do that. His comedy timing, he’s too witty and he is Deadpool. That’s him and his own. I would never step up to him like that. In fact, it was hard to even do those scenes, because he would change the lines and do all these different jokes. He would be like, “Wait! I got another one. I got another one.” Each time, he’s saying these hilarious things and I got to keep a straight face. It was tricky.

LRM: Besides Reynolds there, were there anybody else on the set that you enjoyed working with?

Lewis Tan: Terry crews. Terry crews is a really inspirational guy. [He is] a very kind and generous man. I really liked him and I really look up to him is one of my role models. It was cool meeting Bill Skarsgard. Zazie [Beetz] was really a sweet to me. I had a great time with everyone. It was a good chemistry on set. They’re very kind people. The X-Force bonded onset and offset. So it was good.

LRM: One of the things when in the comic book world, they usually like to sign people for multiple films. Were you signed for multiple films or is it a film to film for yourself?

Lewis Tan: I can’t really answer that question. [Laughs] I can say is there’s more coming. Be on the lookout for more coming.

LRM: Most definitely for X-Force.

Lewis Tan: That’s what we’re hoping for.

LRM: Just to wrap it up. What are there other upcoming projects that you may actually have?

Lewis Tan: Well, I just got back from filming AMC’s Into the Badlands. I play one of the new characters on that show. My character premiered last week and now I’ll be on the series of from now on. So Sunday nights at 10:00 PM on AMC, you can watch Into the Badlands. You can see me doing martial arts with some of the best choreographers in the business. They did Kill Bill, The Matrix and Rush Hour. They’re a genius choreographers. The fights are just phenomenal. That’s what I’m doing right now. There’s a couple other projects coming up soon, so those are announcements will be made within the next month.

LRM: Thank you.

Lewis Tan: My pleasure.

Source: LRM Online Exclusive

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