Levi is one of them, alas, even when he’s well-meaning. Some actors you just expect to make you cringe when they talk. He’s also appeared on the 700 Club, and, earlier this year, he retweeted an anti-trans figure who claimed that ‘Pfizer is a real danger to the world.’ He’s frequently putting his foot in his mouth, revealing some questionable opinions, such as when he lamented that his surname (which is actually his middle name) sees him stereotyped as ‘too Jewish’ for certain roles. He’s a fan of Jordan Peterson, referring to him as ‘one of the deepest thinkers I’ve ever heard break down human behaviour’ on Joe Rogan’s podcast. Levi has conservative politics, which fall in line with his Christian faith, and often veers into uncomfortable territory in regards to gender. Most of the exhaustion around Levi isn’t connected to his work, however. Levi’s not succeeding but he’s not alone in that, at least. Hollywood isn’t exactly hurting for chances for decent-looking cishet white dudes, but the current landscape is not a creative oasis outside of the franchise fare. But if Pratt is a tracing paper copy of Harrison Ford then Levi is a step down from even that. One gets the sense the figure he’s most eager to emulate is Chris Pratt, the former TV schlub funny-man turned muscled action bro with a snarky twist. While he is good in Shazam!, he seems far better suited to the kinds of mid-budget comedic fare that the industry is less focused on creating these days. There is definitely a niche he could fill, somewhere between a minor Chris and a ’90s rom-com hero. Men with far more limited range than he have gone further in Hollywood. He’s appealingly roguish in his voice work in Disney’s Tangled, a witty everyman in Chuck, and a proper romantic song and dance man in Broadway’s She Loves Me, which landed him a Tony nomination. Zachary Levi was best known for an NBC action-dramedy, Chuck, that always had more of a cult fandom than commercial clout. The actors succeeding the most in this format are those who entered their multi-film contracts with pre-established and varied careers, such as Scarlett Johansson and Benedict Cumberbatch. Elizabeth Olsen has lamented having to turn down exciting indie projects due to her Scarlet Witch demands. None of the Chrises were making much of an impact outside of Marvel films when they became megastars. We know that’s not necessarily true, in part due to the contractual obligations of such a series but also because of the decreasing expectations of this kind of actor. Traditional thinking would posit that an actor in the lead of a major franchise would have many doors open to them. Levi has been in a curious position as a celebrity for a few years now. Zachary Levi is losing it □□ /BJ4VXoTnZB- Red ❤️□ March 25, 2023 The last time I checked, he was still sharing videos asking people, with serious tears in his eyes, to watch the film instead of John Wick 4. He also took to social media to blame the film’s marketing and the zealotry of Snyderverse fans, who he said wanted the film to fail. Zachary Levi, the film’s lead, has joined in on this drama, very publicly calling out Dwayne Johnson for his seeming meddling in the DC Universe in regards to his own film, Black Adam. Discovery wanted for the film, and the blame game has already started regarding its lack of success. It grossed a mere $30 million in its domestic opening weekend, and, as of the writing of this piece, has a worldwide total of just over $102.4 million (it fell to third place at the box office in its second week.) It’s not the kind of splashy premiere that DC and Warner Bros. The latest entry in the DC franchise, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, opened to disappointing numbers at the box office.
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