Michael Shannon plays prize roles from General Zod to reclusive fed

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Michael Shannon is a husband and father dealing with a series of apocalyptic visions in “Take Shelter.” Shannon credits his years doing Chicago theater for the film success he enjoys now.

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Updated: November 16, 2011 12:55PM

In Zod, he did not trust.

So many big names were up for the part of General Zod in the Superman reboot “Man of Steel” that Michael Shannon couldn’t believe he had a shot.

What’s a character actor to do when he wants to get his mind off things? Shannon headed to Chicago with his fiancée, Steppenwolf actress Kate Arrington, and their daughter.

“I was behind the Whole Foods store just south of North Avenue by the Chicago River when my life changed,” he says. “My girlfriend, daughter and I were walking along the river, and my daughter was kicking this ball.

“It was a very sunny, normal day in Chicago — and then my cell phone rang.”

It was a blocked number, but Shannon, who cut his acting teeth doing theater at Steppenwolf and A Red Orchid, likes that challenge.

“Unlike most people, I always answer those calls,” he says. “So, I picked up this one and it was director Zack Snyder from the new ‘Superman’ film saying, ‘I want you to be General Zod.’

“It was very surreal. I felt like I was home getting this amazing call. In the next seconds, I was overwhelmed because this is an iconic character, and what Terence Stamp did in the original [1978] movie was pretty incredible. I knew I had to come up with something different.”

How did he celebrate? Shannon just laughs while tooling around in his car on a sunny Los Angeles afternoon.

“All I could think to do was go in the Whole Foods,” he says. “I think I needed to use the bathroom at that point! My girlfriend Kate was doing a play at Steppenwolf. So that night, we were at her show and then we put my daughter to bed.

“No fireworks. No champagne,” he jokes. “But it was still great.”

Shannon’s career is going great guns. He has a choice role on the HBO hit “Boardwalk Empire,” where he plays Agent Nelson Van Alden.

He also stars in the film “Take Shelter” as a young husband and father plagued by a series of apocalyptic visions. He must figure out if he should shelter his family from a storm or himself.

“I feel like it’s a very relevant story,” he says. “I know I have a lot of anxiety about the state of the world. I also have a lot of anxiety about taking care of my family.”

He adds, “The guy I play shows his anxiety through poetic, hysterical dreams and visions. But there are practical, everyday concerns in this film that anyone can draw a parallel to in these times, which is coping with the unknown.”

Shannon had some lean years financially but fat years creatively on local stages. “I did most of my plays for free at storefront theaters around Chicago,” he says. “I still do that from time to time.”

He knows his film career wouldn’t be where it is today without his Chicago past.

“We took a lot of risks, especially at a place like Red Orchid where we would do unusual material. You couldn’t always get away with that kind of thing at a larger venue with all the financial concerns.

“There’s a real freedom that comes with not having huge financial obligations or burdens,” he says. “We could just take chances. I could also work with a lot of exciting new writers and premiere characters.

“It’s a thrill to do a play first before anyone else does it.”

But acting for free didn’t make basic survival that easy.

“I had day jobs around the city,” he says. “I worked at a pet store and then a bookstore. I did a few restaurant jobs.

“I do owe a lot to Red Orchid,” he says. “We’d be there all day long building sets and rehearsing at night. So, I’d just crash at the theater. There was no time to do anything else.

“I just didn’t eat a lot in those days,” he says with a laugh. Now, he’s navigating his hit series with films.

“ ‘Boardwalk Empire’ is so good. We just finished shooting season 2,” he says. “My character is very secluded. I’m not in the big group scenes. I’m still in my own private hell.”

“Man of Steel” is a dream — and gives him some pause. “Doing a Superman film is a lot of pressure,” he says. “People love this story. It’s already very obvious that there are a lot of people keeping an eye on us.

“People on the Internet are already discussing various aspects of the movie even though we’re not even finished filming it yet.”

On the set, he says, “It’s a fun film to work on. You get to use your imagination a lot. It’s like being a little kid playing around in outer space.”

He’s emphasizing the military side of General Zod. “I’m trying not to affect an attitude in him,” he says. “I see him as someone who is very goal-orientated. After all, he’s a general. He has strategies.”

Russell Crowe is Jor-El, the role played by Marlon Brando in 1978.

“Russell’s a very nice guy,” Shannon says. “We’ve hung out between takes in Vancouver and go out for dinner. We even go to the gym together, which is funny. It’s the guy trying to save his planet and the guy trying to destroy it.”

Speaking of destroying something . . . “Russell is putting me through his exercise routines,” moans Shannon. “Let’s just say he’s a great fitness coach.”

Shannon won’t complain. “I know a lot of good people who are still struggling as actors. You will never hear me cop an attitude.”

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