Billy Zane stopped by Supanova TV during his Adelaide appearance, this month, to give insight into the impact The Phantom has had throughout the years.
Zane revealed where he read his first The Phantom comic and why he believes the character connects as strongly as it does.
“To be perfectly honest, The Phantom sits perfectly right here in Australia,” Zane told Supanova TV host Quinny.
“Double Bay was where I sat and read my first The Phantom comic in 199-something while were shooting Sniper. I marvelled at the fact that the reissues of the classic were sold at every newsagent, next to the daily paper.
“Grown men, women and children every day would buy this, and I would go in and get one and there would be a builder grabbing his Phantom, and it’s fundamentally woven into the fabric of the national character of the 20th century.
“And especially with the boys, I’m sure girls got it too, but there’s something in the modern bloke that I think was informed by the moral compass of Lee Falk, he looked like a rugby player and he was just a good, family guy.
“When I was reading it at Double Bay, I thought. ‘This guy is cool… I want to play him and be him.’ Because he had no superpowers, it is possible to be The Phantom — anyone can be The Phantom.”
Recently, Zane re-entered the superhero stratosphere, with his role as P.T. Barnum in Legends of Tomorrow.
“I have kids and animal friends, and they all need taking care of – electricity is expensive,” he joked.
“[Legends of Tomorrow] has a wonderful tone and a great whimsy about it, which the fanbase adore, and the people who make it love it equally. It’s a hoot, and the idea of jumping through time and place while still flexing your particular superpower is pretty cool.”
Lead image: Billy Zane at Supanova 2019 – Brisbane. Photo by Ewan Ly.
