‘Shazam!’ Star Zachary Levi Calls out Hollywood for ‘Garbage’ Content

Shazam! star Zachary Levi recently called out Hollywood for producing what he feels is “garbage” content. EW reports that Levi made the comments during the Chicago Fan Expo this past weekend, while also expressing his support for the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strike. “I personally feel like the amount of content that comes out of Hollywood that is garbage – they don’t care enough to actually make it great for you guys,” he said. “They don’t.”

Levi then went on to say, “How many times do you watch a trailer and go, ‘Oh my god, this looks so cool!’ Then you go to the movie and it’s like, ‘This was what I get?’ They know that once you’ve already bought the ticket and you’re in the seat, they’ve got your money. And the only way for us to change any of it is to not go to the garbage. We have to actively not choose the garbage. It’ll help. It’ll help a lot.”

Deadline reports that Levi also recently clarified some comments he made during a fan event that sparked some controversy. “I fully support my union, the WGA, and the strike,” he said, noting that his comments were taken out of context. “I remain an outspoken critic of the exploitative system that us artists are subject to work in since I started my journey in this business 25 years ago.”

Levi added, “This strike is necessary to protect ourselves, our writers, and all those working in production who make the industry move.” He also said that he feels, along with the strike, actors need to remember how important their fans are. “Our business exists and succeeds because of the fans,” he said, “and I think it’s imperative we appreciate them for their support of our careers.”

The new comments come after Levi previously addressed the lack of critical support for his most recent DCEU film, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, “The audience score is still quite good, but the critics’ score was, I don’t know, very oddly and perplexingly low, and people were insanely unkind.” He added, “Listen, I’ve been a part of things and as much as I wish that they were good, I know that they’re okay, I know they missed a lot. I’m not saying Shazam! Fury of the Gods is some perfect Orson Welles masterpiece, but it’s a good darn movie.”