Woody Harrelson Reveals How He Researched His Role As Carnage

Woody Harrelson knows a thing or two about the darker side of life, with the actor’s hitman father sentenced to life in prison in 1979 for the assassination of a federal judge, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to put in the necessary legwork when it comes to playing characters who operate on the wrong side of the law.

In terms of comic book favorites with a dark, dingy and violent history, few can compare to Cletus Kasady, otherwise known as Carnage. Fans have been waiting a long time to see the symbiote brought into live-action, and they’ll finally get their wish this coming Friday when the long-awaited Venom sequel comes to theaters.

In a new interview with Collider, Harrelson detailed how he got into the mindset of Kasady, explaining that he didn’t want to become overawed by the expectations audiences might already have in their minds when it comes to such an iconic supervillain.

“Well, I mean, if I’d thought about him having a big fanbase with Marvel fans, that would’ve been difficult for me. I try to just approach it like I would any other character, although being in the Marvel universe, it’s not just gonna be any other thing, but… It was good looking at the old comics and stuff, and trying to get a sense of what kind of nasty shit happened in his childhood that influenced him to become this deranged, you know, serial killer. That was helpful.”

Based on the early reactions, Harrelson brings as much unhinged insanity as you’d imagine to his performance, even if most of the acting plaudits for Venom: Let There Be Carnage are once more being pointed in the direction of leading man Tom Hardy. Having opted to approach the part as he would any other movie regardless of genre, he won’t be boxed in by the restrictions of superhero cinema, which should in theory allow him to put his own unique stamp on both Kasady and his parasitic alter ego.