Blue Beetle star Susan Sarandon has opened up about what drew her to the villainous role of Victoria Kord.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly (conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike), Sarandon explained that Victoria Kord represents “the theme of imperialism in the name of democracy.” “My character’s really the one who’s driving that charade in order to get wealth and uranium and what other natural resources, under the guise of making the world safe for democracy,” she added. “That rang a bell. All of those themes I thought would really be fun to dabble in.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Sarandon discussed how eager she was to jump into a superhero film. The actor said that if she had been offered a role in a superhero project prior to Blue Beetle, she “would’ve probably taken it.” So, it wasn’t exactly a hard sell when Blue Beetle director Angel Manuel Soto approached her about being in the DC film. “I just was so impressed by his passion,” Sarandon said. “He has this art background, so he was this nerdy fan of superheroes.”
What is Blue Beetle about?
Set within the DC (Extended) Universe, Blue Beetle opens in theaters this August. The film stars Xolo Maridueña as main protagonist Jaime Reyes. Jaime is the third character to assume the mantle of Blue Beetle in the comics, following Dan Garrett and Ted Kord.
The official synopsis for Jaime’s first live-action solo film reads as follows: “Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero BLUE BEETLE.”
Blue Beetle premieres on Friday, Aug. 18.
