Madame Web Star Tahar Rahim On Playing A Very Different Kind Of Marvel Villain

:0:0

Summary

Cassandra Webb, played by Dakota Johnson, is a paramedic with clairvoyant powers who embarks on a journey to save three young women.
The mysterious man targeting these women is not motivated by their actions but by his fear of what they might do in the future.
Tahar Rahim plays the villainous Ezekiel Sims, who is obsessed with fate and fights to keep himself alive, making him different from other Marvel villains.

Cassandra Web is a paramedic in Manhattan who is grappling with strange clairvoyant powers that she doesn't fully understand in Madame Web. Her powers set her on a journey to save three young women being targeted by a mysterious man. However, they soon learn that his motives aren't tied to anything they've done yet. Instead, he is lashing out to prevent what he fears they will do in the future.
Madame Web is helmed by Marvel veteran director S. J. Clarkson. The script was penned by Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, and Claire Parker based on a story by Kerem Sanga, Sazama, and Sharpless. Madame Web stars a powerhouse cast led by Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor, Isabela Merced, and Tahar Rahim.

Related Madame Web Theory Completely Changes Sony's Spider-Man Universe & Explains Why There's No Peter Parker With the release of the Madame Web trailer comes a slew of theories surrounding Peter Parker"s whereabouts, with one being particularly convincing.
Screen Rant interviewed Madame Web star Tahar Rahim about playing the villainous Ezekiel Sims. He explained how his motivation sets him apart from other Marvel villains and why his belief in fate is both a blessing and a curse. Rahim also shared his desire to fight all three versions of Spider-Man as Ezekiel Sims.
Tahar Rahim Talks Madame Web Close Screen Rant: Madame Web is so much fun. I like the fact that it's a superhero movie, but it's also an action thriller. It reminds me of Spider-Man mixed with Final Destination. Ezekiel has turned his trauma into survival, and then turned that into obsession. Tell me a little bit more about Ezekiel Sims and what attracted you to the role.

Tahar Rahim: You said it all. The answer is in the question. It's many things. I like to see my acting path as an adventure experience so, out of curiosity, I wanted to know how a Marvel movie is made. I like to switch places with the kid that's still inside of myself and tell him, "It's your turn. Have fun." Back in Europe, we don't have this cinematic mythology, so when you get a chance to explore it, you just seize it.
It was a lot of fun to feel like a man with superpowers. But on top of that, the character is interesting. He's fighting for survival, [has an] obsession with fate, and the fact that he's different from other villains. I mean, what I've seen so far were villains that want to take revenge out of jealousy or whatever, or destroy the world or the universe. And this one is just trying to keep himself alive!

You get to don a version of the iconic Spider-Man suit. What was that experience like?

Tahar Rahim: To play a sort of arachnid superpower man? It was great. I got paid to train and learn acrobatics, fighting choreographies, play with wires, and get toned and strong as a spider. It was a lot of fun, and I liked it a lot.

Madame Web is a character that is a connective tissue for other parts of the Marvel Universe. If you were to face off with any other of the previous Spider-Man, which one would you want to face off against as Ezekiel?

Tahar Rahim: I think Ezekiel would take on all of them. At the same time. Come on. Let's do it.

You were in the epic film Napoleon by Ridley Scott. Have you seen his four-hour cut, and do you know when that's going to be available to stream?

Tahar Rahim: Not yet. When they were in the editing room, I heard that there was a longer version of four hours, and I'm still waiting for them to show it to me.

I love the fact that Ezekiel Sims is almost like a horror movie version of Spider-Man, where he's chasing down these girls. Can you talk about your approach to the character?

Tahar Rahim: When I play any characters, I always try to find a connection with them. In this case, it has to deal with fate. Because I believe in fate deeply, and in this case, it's his blessing and his curse at the same time. And as you put it in such a good way, he's so obsessed with it. Every step of the way, it's like, "I want power, I have power, I have whatever I wanted to have in my crazy dreams," and then there's this curse.
[He's] trying to stay alive, and that turns his life into a nightmare and an obsession, and relentlessly he will try to chase them and change destiny. But eventually ... I'm not going to spoil.

About Madame Web

The suspense-driven thriller stars Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic in Manhattan who may have clairvoyant abilities. Forced to confront revelations about her past, she forges a relationship with three young women destined for powerful futures...if they can all survive a deadly present.
Check out our other Madame Web interviews here: