The
“Justice League” Interview
with
Kam Williams
Superhero
Cyborg: Body by Fisher!
Ray
Fisher was born in Baltimore on September 8, 1987, but raised in
Lawnside, New Jersey, where he developed an interest in acting while
still in high school. After graduating, he attended the American
Musical and Dramatic Academy before launching his career.
Ray
received critical acclaim for his work on the stage for doing
Shakespeare and for playing Tom Robinson in "To Kill a
Mockingbird" and Muhammad Ali in an Off-Broadway production of
"Fetch Clay, Make Man." On TV, he's played Captain Edward
Dwight on the adaptation of the best-selling novel, "The
Astronaut Wives Club," into a dramatic series.
In
2016, he made his screen debut as Victor Stone, aka Cyborg in "Batman
v. Superman: Dawn of Justice." Here, he talks about reprising
the role in "Justice League" as well as in a planned 2020
spinoff for the DC Comics superhero tentatively entitled "Cyborg."
Kam
Williams: Hi
Ray, I'm honored to have this opportunity to speak with you.
Ray
Fisher:
Thank
you, Kam. It's my honor and privilege.
KW:
Congrats on landing the role of Cyborg for your feature film debut on
the strength of your stage and TV work.
RF:
Thank
you. Yeah, I've been doing theater since I was 15, and I've been
pursuing it professionally for about a dozen years now. There were a
lot of days of grinding, Kam, a lot of days of trying to make
something happen in New York City. I appreciate the opportunity to
portray Cyborg in this way, and to have it be such an auspicious
start, but it's not something I could have predicted, at all. If it
weren't for [director] Zack Snyder and our crew on the creative side,
I would not be here with you today.
KW:
How did
you prepare to play Cyborg and his alter ego, Victor Stone?
RF:
When
they told me about the role, they sent me just about every comic book
that Cyborg was ever in, starting with his original iteration from
back in the Eighties by Marv Wolfman and George Perez in the New Teen
Titans. I would literally read myself asleep going through all those
old comics. Luckily, there was a lot of material to study about the
character, so I didn't feel like I needed to create him out of thin
air. There were already established parameters for me to work within.
On the physical side, before we started shooting the film, they put
me in the gym with Jason Momoa [Aquaman], Ezra Miller [Flash], the
whole crew and an army of Amazon women who would be in our film. We
worked out about two hours a day, five days a week, on top of the
five meals a day they would provide. It was a pretty intense
experience.
KW:
What's
it like being a part of such an accomplished cast and a film series
with such iconic characters?
RF:
It was
fantastic! Everybody was really down to earth. And that's a testament
to Zack Snyder in terms of how he runs his set. I felt super welcome
right from the outset. This is a team film, and everybody was there
to play their part. There was very little ego involved. Luckily, I
had two and a half years before we started shooting to get myself
prepared. So, I managed to meet everyone way before the cameras even
started rolling for Justice League. It was nice to get those
introductions prior to stepping onto the set. That enabled us to
develop some chemistry ahead of time instead of having to generate it
on the spot the first time the director said, "Action!"
KW:
What I
find most impressive is the confidence the studio is showing in you
by already planning for your character, Cyborg, to have his own stand
alone film in a few years.
RF:
Yeah,
it's great to be thought of in that way. Things are in development
right now. Knock on wood, things go according to plan and that comes
to fruition.
KW:
Were
you already a fan of Zack Snyder, who has made hit after hit, from
his spectacular debut in 2004 with Dawn of the Dead clear through
Wonder Woman, earlier this year?
RF:
Definitely!
In fact, Dawn of the Dead was the first DVD I ever bought. I remember
that very distinctly, as well as watching it a lot. And he and his
wife/producing partner, Debbie, produced Wonder Woman. You're talking
about a man who is so passionate about these characters and his craft
that being directed by him never felt like work. I felt like a big
kid playing pretend with my friends. It was kinda surreal.
KW:
Are you
a comic book fan? Who's your favorite superhero?
RF:
Growing
up, I didn't collect comic books, but I did watch every single
superhero movie that came out and every superhero series on TV during
the Nineties, which I consider the Golden Age of superhero animation.
And Batman and Blade resonated with me the most.
KW:
Is
there a message you want people to take away from Justice League?
RF:
I think
so, particularly from Cyborg, because each of these characters is
going through their own healing process and becoming part of a team
for the greater good in order to stop this threat. The message I'd
love for people to take away from Cyborg is that no matter how
difficult your circumstances may be, whether physically or mentally,
there's always a process by which you can heal. It might not happen
all at once, but as long as you take those little steps forward,
things can change for the better.
KW:
Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: With so many classic films being redone,
is there a remake you'd like to star in?
RF:
Ooh...
That's a really tough question. If they ever get a remake of Spawn
off the ground, I'd love to see what that would be about.
KW:
The
Morris Chestnut question: Was there any particular moment in your
childhood that inspired you to become the person you are today?
RF:
I don't think there was any
singular moment, but a bunch of little moments that came together and
created the mesh that is me. I've been blessed to work with some of
the most talented theater people you've probably never heard of who
aren't very visible. And I've also been fortunate to have the most
supportive friends and family that a person could ask for.
KW:
Ling-Ju Yen asks: What
is your earliest childhood memory?
RF:
I
remember my mother buying me a strawberry milkshake from Mister
Softee after being stung by a bee.
KW:
When
you look in the mirror, what do you see?
RF:
As I start to age, I feel that I look like my grandpa more and more.
KW:
Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone
would?
RF:
No, I'm
pretty approachable, so people ask me all sorts of stuff.
KW:
Finally,
Samuel L. Jackson asks: What’s in your wallet?
RF:
A
little gold card with a couple of inspirational quotes. It's been in
my wallet since I was about 13. Let me read you one. "We're not
all designed to be straight-A students, celebrities, world-class
athletes or the CEO of a major corporation. But we're designed to
make the most of the skills and abilities we do possess. Perhaps the
most splendid achievement of all is the continuing quest to surpass
ourselves."
KW:
Sweet!
Thanks again for the interview, Ray, and best of luck with the film.
RF:
I
appreciate your taking the time, Kam.
