David Denman Talks ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2, ‘Superman,’ And ‘Lanterns’

Peacemaker © HBO Max

Nexus Point News recently had the chance to chat to David Denman, whose resume includes The Office, Brightburn, Rebel Ridge and the upcoming second season of James Gunn’s hit DC show Peacemaker.

The below interview has been edited for clarity.

David: All right. What do you guys want to know? I can't tell you anything, but… [laughs]

Alex: Oh, no – we understand. You've known James Gunn from your days on The Office, and then jumping on to Brightburn, and now with Peacemaker Season 2. What has interested you, just getting onto that project? And have there been any differences between the three, or things that have excited you?

David: I mean, yeah. I've known James [Gunn] for over 20 years, and I've always been a fan.

James is so incredibly talented, and his scripts are amazing, and if you liked Peacemaker Season 1, Season 2 is even better, in my opinion. It's amazing. It's funny, and it's dramatic, and it's incredibly entertaining.

Nobody has James' voice out there in the world, in my opinion. And so, when you get an opportunity to work with him... This is the first time I've actually been directed by James, because he produced Brightburn, and was very involved with that from the get-go.

And I remember, I got sent that script after my son was born. I was literally still in the hospital, because it was the day after he was born. And my agent's like, “I know you really don't want to read anything right now, but there's this movie, and it's James and Elizabeth Banks.” So I read it, and I loved it, and was like, sorry honey, I gotta go to audition for this. So I went and auditioned later the next day, having not slept all night. And they all wanted me to do it. It took a long time before we figured it out. But eventually, I think it was in January, and so it was like May, I think we shot that. I'm thinking it was a few months later.

So, my kid was already home and doing okay, and we shot that. But that's a very different script than this universe [the DCU]. Peacemaker is very specific, and that's one of the great things about James. He knows exactly what he wants. He's very specific about everything that he's doing. But there's a lot of fun making something with James, because especially when you're doing a comedy like this, like Brightburn, there's not a whole lot of comedy in that, if any.

And so, when you do this, there's a lot more improv that happens. James throws things out. “Hey, try this.” I'll say this line. “Try this.” And it's just a lot of fun to roll with that.

And in the cast, I met Steve Agee [who plays John Economos in Peacemaker] doing Brightburn, and he and I have been very close friends ever since. And when this thing came along, he was like, “You gotta do it.” And so I was excited. I knew Jen [Holland, who plays Emilia Harcourt], obviously. But I also knew Freddie [Stroma]. Freddie and I did 13 Hours together, who I love. Freddie's amazing.

So, there was a lot of familiarity there. I didn't know John [Cena], and he's better than advertised. I mean, he is fantastic in this role. You know, I can't even fathom anybody else touching this. And he just gets better and better and better. I mean, he's got stuff in this. I was like, just blown away by his acting ability. You know, we had some amazing scenes together, and I'm just like, “Damn, look at you go.” I was very impressed with him, and he's just a consummate professional. We had a blast. We had a great time, everybody on it. And I became good friends with Danielle [Brooks, who plays Adebayo].

She's awesome in [Peacemaker Season 2]. I mean, everybody is so good in this.

Obviously, when you get an opportunity to work with James, you jump at that chance. Because there are very few actors out there that have his gift. And, you know, for me, part of the job required me getting into better shape. I was not in the greatest shape.

Peacemaker © HBO Max

Alex: Yeah, we noticed that you hit the gym hard, pretty hard, especially for Peacemaker and Rebel Ridge.

David: I got this call on April 1st, and I didn't work until July - I don't know, middle of July, July 15, something like that. So, I had some time, but I've never had to [work out this hard]. I don't know if you saw Eric at all, but I was probably the worst shape I've ever been in my life. And then I had to go from that to do this job.

And there's just elements of [Peacemaker] that required me to get in the best shape I could get in the short amount of time. And so, I literally started that day. And, I mean, I was working out twice a day, six days a week, literally nonstop, even, you know, even while I was filming - which went all the way up to Thanksgiving. And then I gave myself a little bit of a break. But, you know, so I can, my kids can thank James Gunn for getting me probably another five to 10 years off my life, if anything else.

Personally, I've never been - you know, I'm not a big comic book guy. I never followed much of this. You know, the DC world - I knew very little of, but I knew all the main characters, because my generation, that's what we grew up on. You know, Marvel is something I think for people a little bit younger than I am.

Alex: This is not technically your first time diving into this type of world because since you did Brightburn - that was something different, but there were some similarities. But now you're looking at this large IP with a vast history.

With that, and especially one that could be with a 6-to-10-year plan. And so, with signing on, do you feel that your character, without revealing anything, will be appearing in more things?

David: I mean, anything is possible, honestly. I mean, that's the thing, right? When you're in this universe, anything is possible. That's all I can say. I can't reveal anything else other than you just never know. I think there's potential, but you'll have to watch the show to see how that's possible. It's hard to explain.

Alex: No, you don't have to stress yourself over that. But it seems that there was like a lot of physicality that you had to do on and off screen. I think you shared something a few months ago that there was a plaster cast on your face. Is this something for prosthetics or will you be wearing a shiny helmet?

David: Can't reveal any of that, but I can say it wasn't the first time I've had whatever you call it, the face. Because I did it for Brightburn. My character’s face gets burned off.

And we had to do a whole cast for that. I did it before.

I did it early in my career. I was on a show called Angel. I played this demon. I had full prosthetics and that. We had a full body cast and stuff. It's not comfortable, but it's gotten a lot better because when I did it years ago like that, the process is just technology has advanced so much that it makes it a little more tolerable. But you still have to be still for, I don't know, 30 minutes or so and just breathe out of your nose. I had to do it actually at the time too. I did it a couple of years ago in France. I did it for a show called Serpent Queen. My character gets… [mimes throat being slit] And so we had to do it.

Alex: Yeah, I don't know how you guys deal with that. Like I'll be claustrophobic.

David: Yeah, they can get... I mean, my wife has done it, and she lost her mind when she had to do it. So, you know, it's just part of the fun.

John: So it hasn't completely traumatized you of having to face being a member of the ‘Blue Man Group’ once again?

David: You know, I wouldn't want to do that, you know, all the time. Like the guys that are in Star Trek and stuff like that that have to be in full prosthetics every day. That's some heavy lifting. You know, when you see Colin Farrell do all of that work for Penguin. Oh, my gosh.

You know, anyone who's ever had to do it once knows that that's just a little bit of insanity, you know, which is why I'm not surprised that they're very skeptical of him wanting to come back and do it again for another season. But, I mean, God, he was so amazing in that. But, yeah, it's not easy.

Alex: Just going back to your character in Peacemaker, were there any similarities for this role that you've done previously, or is this a complete departure of what you've done before?

David: Yeah, it's a bit of a departure from anything I've done before. I mean, I will say I was very surprised being, you know, I'm 51, being asked to do this. I never...

I kind of got to a point in my life where I didn't think that I would be doing something in the comic book world, and all of a sudden, here I am in it, which is pretty fun. And ultimately, you know, I've never done anything in the comic book world. I never did anything in Marvel.

So that alone is something that's new for me and hopefully something my kids will get to watch when they get older. Although they're too young now to watch it. But maybe when they're older, they'll go, oh, “That's cool, dad was in that thing.” So those are certain things that when you have kids, you think about.

John: I must, as a Trek fan, just pick up on your point about Star Trek. And I'm kind of curious, because I know there's also a connection between, of course, one of your cast members, Sol Rodriguez, who was in the recent Star Trek: Picard. Yes, she was in the first series of that show.

And I suppose it's curious because nowadays, of course, with the wonders of technology and CGI, not all Star Trek aliens have to go through that awful process of lots of prosthetics. They could even literally, as they did in the 90s, put a couple of bits of makeup on your nose and call it a day. So in terms of the world of science fiction, whether it be Star Trek, Star Wars or otherwise, is that something that you personally sort of have an interest in delving into in the future?

David: Actually, I do. It's funny. I was just having a conversation with my agent, who I've had for, I don't know, 20-something years. And, you know, the entertainment industry is going through a whole transition right now and not as much work that there used to be. And so, you kind of look back. I've had a good run here for a number of years that I never really think about, like, “Oh, I want to do that” or “I want to do that next.” It's just things that come to me, you know? And I've been very lucky and blessed to have some really great opportunities that have been creatively fulfilling. But I was saying, “God, you know what I've never done is, like, true, like, fantasy or sci-fi.”

Like, I haven't done any of that stuff. And I think it would be a lot of fun to do something like that, you know? And she was like, “Oh, yeah, that would be fun. That would be different.” So, yeah, to answer your question, I'm definitely interested in it and I would love to find the right thing that hopefully would come along.

John: Well, fingers crossed for you, David.

David: Thanks. Yeah, my kid watched this - you know, they're making a TV series of God of War. I had a long beard for a while and I was scrolling through the internet - and it came up, and my seven-year-old has no idea what that is and he's like, “You could play that, dad.” I'm like, “Hmm, I probably could.” But that would take a lot more time in the gym. But, yeah, something like that's just full fantasy, like, you know - Nordic gods and stuff - that appeals to me, to do something different like that. It would be a lot of fun.

Lanterns © HBO

Alex: Just to circle back with what John's mentioning with fellow co-stars. You have another one that recently joined the DCU, Aaron Pierre. How do you feel with him jumping in as John Stewart? And how was it working with him in Rebel Ridge?

David: Oh, I'm a huge, huge fan of Aaron. Aaron is like, yeah, he's a very, very sweet man and a terrific actor. And I loved working with him on Rebel Ridge.

And it's been really fun to watch his star just rise here, you know, from the sidelines. And I sing his praises nonstop. He was testing for that while I was filming and James asked me what I thought about him. And I was like, “This guy should be the next James Bond.” I mean, he's a movie star.

He's just a great human being, first and foremost. Just a good guy and a terrific actor and probably one of the most beautiful human beings walking around that you'll ever see. So, I think they hit gold by casting him as the Green Lantern.

And I have another friend of mine who's on that - Kelly MacDonald is on that show. Her and I did a movie years ago called Puzzle. And we've stayed friends ever since and so we've been able to hang out.

Alex: MacDonald was a fantastic casting as well.

David: Yeah. I mean, there's a lot of terrific actors in that. I mean, Kyle [Chandler]'s great. And gosh, you know, Jason Ritter just got confirmed, who I think is so great. Another great human being. I did something, a reading with him years and years ago and I just find him so talented - and just, you know, good people. There's a lot of good people. 

You know, I mean, that's the nice thing - James is incredibly loyal to the people he's worked with in the past. It's like once you get in the James Gunn company, you know, he's always looking for stuff for people he loves. And he likes to work with good humans.

It's like you can see that everyone cast, you're like, these are good people. Then you want to hang out with them. And so a big part of this point in my life is like, I want to be on set with people I enjoy hanging out with.That's a big part of it, to be quite honest. You know, all the money in the world doesn't make up for dealing with someone who isn't an asshole or something. It's just not fun. It's not worth it.

Alex: We've heard a lot of great things about how James runs his sets. I don't know if that man sleeps especially working between two sets in Atlanta for Peacemaker and Superman. How was that experience?

David: Well, James. Yes. First and foremost, he's the hardest working man in show business. He's constantly, he's got so many projects happening, but you know, he's also incredibly smart. He hired really great people to fulfill his vision and he's very specific about it, you know? So he's good at communicating that.

And we had great directors. Greg Mottola is awesome. Alethea Jones - she's fantastic. I didn't work with the other director. I forget their name now, but, but James did a couple episodes, he's there. We all shot in it and it was on the same studio and it'll cross the lot like literally on the same lot. 

One soundstage is Superman, the other soundstage is Peacemaker. So, he's there, but he's just got a million things to think about at the same time. And he's a pro, he just compartmentalizes it and it's all his new universe, you know? So, he has to be the final say on everything, you know - it's like creating that world, which I'm super excited to see. Everyone that I know that has seen the rough cuts of Superman are just blown away by how great it is. And I met a bunch of the cast members cause we were right there across the stage from them and seeing David in the Superman gear - he looks phenomenal. It's perfect and he's going to be great. It's going to be great. I got to watch it - you know, a couple of scenes being filmed.

Superman © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Alex: Were you able to take a peek at that set.

David: Yeah. The day was mostly a green screen, you know, all the way doing a lot of special effects stuff. But it looked amazing.

Alex: Since you've spoken with David and especially seen him in the gear, from your interactions with him, do you feel like he exuberates who Superman is?

David: He's perfect casting. Perfect. In my opinion, he's perfect.

It's a different world than previous versions of Superman. For this world that James is creating, you know, he is the perfect casting in my opinion.

I don’t want to say anything negative about other versions of it. But when I was a kid growing up - I'm a Christopher Reeves fan, you know, like I I'm a big fan of that first movie and that charm and that fun. There's just a lot of joy and I remember seeing that as a kid. I really liked Man of Steel, but it was a more adult take on the world in my opinion. And I think maybe there's room for, I don't know, not as dark. It's just not as dark of a world as what the previous one was, you know?

John: Speaking of David, if I may, about talking about connectivity, did you find yourself on, on of course what is season two of Peacemaker thinking, you know, firstly, did you feel a sort of need to kind of go back and reflect, you know, reflect upon, upon the first series? Or did you feel that it was, it was very much a sort of jumping on point in its own right?

David: No, I watched the whole first series again. I wanted to, you know, you have to understand the world, right? It's very unique.

It's, it, you know, anytime you're doing anything, whether it's the office or it's Mare of Easttown, there's a world that you're all living in and, and, and Peacemaker has its own, its own specific world. So, it was very helpful to watch the first season to kind of get into that, you know, that universe of how everyone communicates. And, you know, there's a lot of dialogue that's, it's very quick and, you know, it's, it's a smart, it's really smartly done. The scripts are very tight and they're very specific.

So it, yeah, it definitely helped to look at, look at the world, but yeah. Yeah. And so, yeah, to answer your question was helpful, but it definitely takes, takes where they started and it goes even, you know, takes it to another level.

In my opinion, it's like I remember getting sent the scripts when I was deciding whether I wanted to spend the next, you know, six months of my life in the gym and starving myself and trying to, you know, physically be, you know, not a fat old dad. The second I read the scripts, it's just like, yeah.

How can you not sign up for this journey? You know? And, as Peter likes to say, we're looking for volunteers.

We're not, you're not indentured servants. So, this is what the role requires, you know, is this something you want to be in, and this is what you want to do. And we had that conversation and I said, “look, I can do as much as I possibly can, but I can't, I'm not going to overpromise you”.

Alex: Is there anything you'd like to share for the fans for this upcoming season of Peacemaker?

David: I can just say if you were a fan of the first season, I think you're going to be blown away by the second season. I think the bar was set pretty high and it's only goes up from there in my opinion. I think everyone's going to be very pleased.

Very, very pleased. It's really fun.