Black Adam, the highly-anticipated 2022 DC film, may have been deemed as ‘the worst movie of the decade’ by some critics, but there’s no denying that Dwayne Johnson’s portrayal of the titular character was nothing short of impeccable. However, one of Black Adam‘s female leads, Sarah Shahi, who plays Adrianna Tomaz, a freedom fighter and Kahndaqi professor, claims that her on-set experience was not as fulfilling as she had hoped and she feels so due to the insufficient screentime she had in Black Adam with her co-stars, specifically Dwayne Johnson.
Sarah Shahi was floored by Dwayne Johnson’s appearance in Black Adam
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sarah Shahi discussed her relationship with Dwayne Johnson, the lead actor in the upcoming 2022 film Black Adam. Shahi, who stars in Sex/Life and has appeared in shows such as The L Word and The Sopranos, expressed that she was immediately drawn to Johnson’s charm and sense of humor when they first met on the set of Black Adam. She also mentioned that he makes her feel comfortable and that he gives her full eye contact, which is rare in the acting industry.
She also states that she was more impressed by Dwayne Johnson’s working style and tendency to distribute the spotlight among everyone.
“I can’t tell you how many times he would take his lines and give them to another actor who maybe didn’t have as much to do in the scene. We just came out of this world tour where we’d introduce the film, and they’d give him the mic to say something. But then, he’d make sure to pass the mic along to me or [Hawkman actor] Aldis [Hodge] or anybody else. He is so giving of the spotlight because he wants everybody to win, and he acts like it. He’s the most open-hearted person I’ve ever met.””
Despite being so inspired and impressed by Dwayne Johnson, Sarah Shahi says she did not really get to work with him as much as she expected she would.
Sarah Shahi Barely Worked With Dwayne Johnson On Black Adam
Despite being in a film replete with characters and A-list actors, Sarah Shahi’s screen time with Dwayne Johnson, the lead actor of the film, was quite limited. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Shahi revealed that she barely worked with Johnson and that she ended up filming many of her scenes completely alone.
Sarah explained that whenever the camera was on her for a close-up, she would find herself without her co-stars, including The Rock. They simply weren’t present unless they were going to end up in the shot. She said,
“That did come as a surprise to me. I come from a background in television where everyone is present on set, and schedules are built in such a way that actors do not have to perform a scene alone. But with something of this magnitude and scale, I suppose they had to approach things differently.”
The amount of respect and admiration Sarah Shahi has for Dwayne Johnson clearly gives an idea of the chemistry they would portray if they co-star in future movies and are given more screen time. It’s a shame that Shahi wasn’t able to fully immerse herself in the collaborative and dynamic environment that filmmaking is often celebrated. Fans surely hope for this pair to be seen together in their respective Black Adam roles again.
Black Adam is streaming on HBO Max
