Warning: This episode contains spoilers for the most recent episode ofPeacemaker.
Did Iwuji know from the start the true nature of his character?
Now, in the writing, he gets blown up in episode 3 and he still survives.
Chukwudi Iwuji.Laretta Houston
You’ve got to questionthat, you know.
[Laughs] But that’s in the writing.
I just didn’t want to give any clues away.
Peacemaker.HBO MAX
[Laughs] That’s the world of James Gunn, really, and the world of this show.
It’s a different mindset.
So I guess different people react in different ways to things.
Katie Yu/HBO Max
How did you get involved in the show?
Remember episode 1 when we first meet Peacemaker, we come in to his trailer?
That was it, but they hid some names and stuff to keep it secret.
I remember looking at the breakdown for the character and the description for the character was so not me.
I went, oh, they’re just going to get Lance Reddick or something.
You’ve acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Britain’s National Theatre, the Public Theater.
Were there moments shooting the show early on when you wondered what on earth you’d gotten yourself into?
[Laughs] Absolutely!
I don’t own a drill.
It was a nightmare.
I think at one point I set it to reverse instead of forward.
It was a nightmare.
I was pretty sure they were going to fire me.
I was like, there won’t be a car waiting for me at the end of the day.
You know, we don’t improvise those guys.
[Laughs]
I’m guessing Shakespeare and Ibsen don’t require much “drill acting” either.
[Laughs] No, none of that stuff.
How do you keep such a straight face when you’re shooting the show?
You don’t see the blooper reel.
But you will, you will.
Can you tease the last couple of episodes of season 1?
It’s very explosive.
You’re currently working with Gunn again onGuardians of the Galaxy Vol.
How is that going?
It’s going great.
I’m trying to wrap my head around it still.
I saw the firstGuardiansin Times Square in 2014 with a friend of mine.
Exactly the same thing withGuardians 2.
To be finding myself in3is quite extraordinary.
I’m a hugeDoctor Whofan and I know you appeared on the show.
What do you remember about that experience?
It was “The Impossible Astronaut,” I believe it was called.
I remember [thinking], wait, I’m on the set ofDoctor Who!Matt Smithwas hilarious.
I had a good time doing that.
That’s how big that show is.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Watch the trailer forPeacemakerbelow.
