Whenever young Darla Dudley screamed “Shazam!” she would transform into an adult superhero version of herself played by the beautiful Meagan Good. The actress always wanted to be a part of a proper action flick and what better to achieve this dream than by playing a superhero?
During auditions, Meagan Good didn’t really know which film she was exactly auditioning for. All she did know was that she had to go in and pretend to be a ten-year-old girl, which was somehow her cup of tea. Of course, the actress nailed her audition and the role was hers to take but when she was told the film was Shazam! she mistook it for Shaquille O’Neal’s 1996 comedy Kazaam.
Meagan Good’s Hilarious Mix-up
Talking to Comic Book Resources, Meagan Good opened up about always wanting to play a role in an action film. In order to accomplish her goal, she first began transforming her physique as she was about to touch thirty-five. The biggest reason why an action role was Good’s dream is because of the lack of Black women and other women of color in the genre.
Thus, after working on herself, she went in to audition for Shazam! where she was to read for a ten-year-old. While that may have sounded weird to anyone else given the obvious age difference, it was right up Good’s alley. Apart from this, she had no idea what the audition was for.
When she found out she was going to be in David F. Sandberg’s Shazam!, she confused it with Shaquille O’Neal’s Kazaam.
Good stated,
When I ended up getting Darla Dudley, I had no idea what I was auditioning for — like zero. I went in and pretended to be a 10-year-old, which was totally up my alley because I am very weird. When I found out, two weeks later, that I got it, I was like, ‘What is it?’ They were like, ‘Shazam.’ I was like, ‘With Shaquille O’Neal?’ They were like, ‘No, that’s Kazaam. This is Shazam.’
Kazaam follows the story of Francis Capra’s 14-year-old Max who comes across O’Neal’s genie trapped inside a boombox. The two build a bond over the course of the film before parting ways in the end. Clearly, the two films have nothing in common except their titles meaning homonyms!
Playing Shazam’s Darla Dudley Was a Dream Come True for Meagan Good
Good always wanted to represent women in the field of action. So, when she got the chance to play Darla’s superhero persona, she knew it was the right thing to do.
After doing a bit of research about her role and Shazam, Good realized that by actually playing a 10-year-old girl, she was influencing other young girls to believe in themselves.
She told CBR,
So, I went and researched it, and when I realized I was actually playing a 10-year-old, I was like, “Now, little girls really can see themselves as a superhero and really can look and say, ‘Yeah, I can do that.'” It’s been a fun character to play, to get my goofy side out, and to work with Faithe Herman, who is little Darla.
Good once again collaborated with Faithe Herman when the two returned for the sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
You can stream Shazam! & Shazam! Fury of the Gods on Max.
