It’s not always easy as an actor to stick with a character’s story when you know the writing for your role could be better. Henry Cavill walked away from The Witcher for the same reasons, and now one of his Man of Steel co-stars shares his disappointment about a specific HBO show character he embodied for more than four years.
Michael Shannon, who you know as General Zod in Man of Steel and the upcoming DCU film, The Flash, addressed one of his TV roles in an interview with Vanity Fair. He brought up Van Alden’s story in the period drama Boardwalk Empire, explaining how he would have wanted the character’s story arc to be.
The Shape of Water actor added that he would’ve “preferred” if Alden were to “rise from the ashes,” but the audience was content with the turn his character’s story took in the HBO drama. Read his complete statement below:
What I thought was going to happen was that you were going to see Van Alden fall from grace, and then you were going to see him like a phoenix rise from the ashes. It was interesting that that didn’t really happen; what actually ended up being the storyline was that he kept sinking further and further into abject despair and humiliation.
I’m not going to lie; I would’ve preferred the first storyline, maybe, but people seemed to be really entertained by watching poor Nelson’s struggle, so who am I to say different?
It’s true that further along in the show’s story, Nelson Van Alden’s life took a turn for the worst. Once a straight-laced agent of Bureau of Prohibition, his life deviated from its tracks when he had to kill his partner Eric Sebso in his quest to out Nucky. From there, he only sunk lower into the depths of pathetic despair as he went into hiding as George Mueller after splitting from his wife.
That could have been the life-changing decision to set him straight – and he almost did, remarrying with two children, but his work with Al Capone soon bit him in the keister. Getting caught trying to pass the mobster’s private information, he was shot down by an undercover agent and met his sad end in the final season of Boardwalk Empire.
Though Shannon feels Van Alden should’ve gotten another chance to get back on his feet, the character’s continued doom was just one of the things the show did right. After all, the fans’ feedback is enough to confirm that! Do you think the same as the general audience or are you with Michael Shannon? Drop your answers in the comments below.
About Boardwalk Empire
Boardwalk Empire is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and broadcast on the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s, starring Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson.
The show centers around Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, a political figure who rises to prominence and controls Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition period of the 1920s and 1930s. Nucky interacts with historical characters in both his personal and political life, including mobsters, politicians, government agents, and the common folk who look up to him.
The series stars Steve Buscemi, Michael Pitt, Kelly MacDonald, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham, Stephen Graham, and more. The series ended with five seasons in October 2014.
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