Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu & Other Stars Who Shined Bright at the Shazam! Fury of the Gods Premiere

In the upcoming movie Shazam! Fury of the Gods, out March 17, Zachary Levi embodies Billy Batson (aka the superhero Shazam) for the second time with an outstanding ensemble cast. Among the new members of the franchise are Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu, who plays the so-called “Gods” who go after Levi’s character’s superpowers.

Talking to The New York Times recently, Mirren and Liu reflected on playing such strong and powerful villains. “I do think that there’s sometimes a little bit of a stereotype or stigma where if a woman plays what the audience perceives as the antagonist, she automatically falls into a group or some sort of prescription of what was in the past, as opposed to creating something new and dynamic,” Mirren said.

Looking at Liu, Mirren continued, “You did Charlie’s Angels and for someone of my generation, it was a huge sea change: full force, fearsome women action. But controlled by a man, so even though it was a massive step forward, there was still that anchor holding it back, in a way.” Mirren added, “Now that anchor has been let go, thank God. We move forward in a different way, hopefully.”

Liu, for her part, couldn’t agree more. “Now it’s very different,” she said, “It’s moving in the right direction.”

Check out some of the premiere’s best looks below!