We spoke with actor Chris Showerman about his work on TV's Supergirl, his new horror anthology Terror Tales and more.
Supergirl’s Christopher Showerman continues his reign of villainous turns with the role of the psychotic driver in the new Jimmy Lee Combs’ film Terror Tales, out in January. We spoke to the actor, who got his big break when he replaced Brendan Fraser as the star of George of the Jungle 2 in 2003, about playing the memorable bookend character in the anthology film.
We probably know you best for your role as George of the Jungle, whom you played for Disney. How many years is that going back now?
George of the Jungle 2 released back in 2003. Oh my how the world has changed in the past 15 years!
How do you think you’ve improved as an actor since then? Still got the muscles?
Ha! I don't think I'm quite as lean as I was when I played George, but I'm also not training four hours a day anymore either! That said, fitness will always be a part of my lifestyle. I really enjoy working out and would do it regardless of my profession!
It would be pretty hard not to improve in the course of 15 years of doing anything. I feel more confident, more empathetic, and more trusting of my intuitions than I have been at any other point in my life. Also having a few more years under my belt, I have experienced that lovey phenomenon of caring less and less about other people's opinions of me. All these things make me a stronger performer. Being in my mid-forties, I also get offered roles that have more depth to them, or at least I'm finding more depth in them now.
Did you continue working for Disney after George of the Jungle 2?
I haven't done anything quite as high profile with Disney since George of the Jungle 2, but I got to sing a song with Ashley Tisdale on an episode of Phineas and Ferb - which was a blast!!
In more recent times, you’ve played Tor on Supergirl. Tell us about that experience?
Supergirl was a fantastic experience. That crew worked like a NASCAR pit crew! They were so efficient and dialed in! There was one day on set where I was concerned about finishing up in time to perform in a live show that evening. I had no understudy for the live show, so I knew everyone was depending on me to be there. But the Supergirl director, Dermott Downs, and that amazing crew stepped it up a notch and got me out just in the nick of time! I made it to the theatre and on stage just as the curtain was opening!
Was that your first superhero project? I imagine, with your look, you’ve been considered for quite a few?
Well if we're not counting George as a superhero, then that was my first superhero project on that scale. However, I had done a few bodysuit roles before, albeit in much smaller projects goofing off with friends!
How did Terror Tales come to be?
My Pal (and head of October Coast) Clint Morris was friends with Jimmy Lee Combs, the director of Terror Tales. He put the two of us in touch and I found Jimmy to be a lovely guy! He gave me a lot of leeway with the character and dialogue, and allowed me to make the driver someone I really wanted to play!
Did the shooting work any differently… since it’s an anthology film, I imagine it didn’t shoot the same as a traditional feature might have?
Well each segment was shot on its own. I know Jimmy already had the video store piece shot and maybe one other segment by the time we got around to shooting the wraparound story. I flew out to Colorado and shot with them for a ridiculously short amount of time, two and a half days I believe. I think Jimmy just started the camera rolling as soon as I landed and didn't turn it off until I flew back to LA. We covered so much ground it was amazing! Most of my work on-screen was with J. Giordano. He was a lovely guy to work with and was able to keep up and make adjustments on the fly!
And you’re playing very against type here?
Well yes and no. Most of my career I've been the nice guy, so yes the driver is pretty much the opposite of the nice guy. But in building this bad guy, I had so much fun finding little moments of humour and humanity in him. That's what really made him interesting to me. I had just gotten done playing a psychopath in Brooks Campbell's movie Lady Bug, so I wanted this psychopath to be a completely different brand of psycho!
Is it more fun playing a bad guy? They say it is.
Honestly I have so much fun just acting in general! I have loved every role I've gotten to play for different reasons. But, that said, bad guys don't have to follow the rules of society. That really widens the pallet of choices you can make as an actor. The sky is the limit, which can be both terrifying and exhilarating!
Have you seen the other shorts that you don’t feature in yet?
Other shorts in Terror Tales? Yes, I got to see an early cut of the movie. I think Jimmy did a phenomenal job, especially considering the budget he was working with. And he pulled in a mind-bending number of veterans of the genre to participate in this. That accomplishment alone cannot be overstated. I'm humbled to be a part of this cast.
What’s next for you, after Terror Tales?
A lot has been going on since then! There is a sci-fi movie called Encounter that my pal Paul Salamoff directed me in with Tom Atkins and Luke Hemsworth. That should be coming out mid 2019 as well. I'm also in a Chris Pine miniseries on TNT called I Am the Night, which will release in January 2019. At the moment, I'm in New York playing Joe DiMaggio in a live musical about the life of Marilyn Monroe. It's a show called 'Marilyn!' that we mounted earlier this year at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas.
Terror Tales is on VOD January 8th from High Octane Pictures!