POWER MAN

Mike Colter, Uncaged

Were you familiar with the comic book?

Not really. I have done some reading since getting the job because it’s important to understand the history and the mythology of it. I’m catching up. I really enjoyed the Alias comics because the Luke Cage character there is more up to date. I read some of the original comics – they’re fun to read but it doesn’t give me much because our character is so modern and up to date. Just the time, the era – the language was different in the ’70s, the people were different, everything was different. So the problems were different, because society was so different. the things that a superhero like me would deal with back then are not the same things that I would deal with now.

you’re playing a guy who’s bulletproof and unbreakable. Does that affect the physicality of your performance, the way you carry yourself?

yeah, it does. Ultimately when you’re aware that certain things don’t hurt you you’re not as timid as other people would be. [But] you’re not trying to engage, you don’t want to have conflict. those things are actually a burden to you. If you hit someone you could hurt them, so you really have to think about things. you avoid problems a lot.

is there anything in Luke’s character you can relate to?

I think the reluctance to be exposed in a public way. As an actor you enjoy doing what you do, but then the publicity that you have attached with this occupation exposes to you being objectified and watched. Luke Cage has that issue. I can relate to that need to have some privacy and not need to always be in the public eye.

Do you get to say “sweet Christmas!” again?

Oh, we’ll have enough! Appropriately placed throughout!