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Tom Welling, best known for saving the world in the blockbuster movie “Smallville,” is tasked with the not-so-small task of going undercover to take down an Italian mob syndicate in “Mafia Wars.”
Teaming up with co-star Cher Cosenza, he lived the sweet life while filming in Rome, and described the process as a dream come true.
Tom said, “It was incredibly beautiful. And in a way, I think it’s another character in this movie. And when we had downtime, even between takes, we just kind of looked back and , I was like, ‘This is great.’
Cher added, “Not to mention the fact that our crew was Italian…and we took many separate breaks because there were lots of cappuccinos and tons of pizza served in between each time.” I took it.” [director Scott Windhauser] I said “Rolling.”
Tom plays Terry Jacobs, a paroled felon who faces off against the most notorious gangster, Griff, played by Cam Gigandet. “Terry sums it up as a good person who does bad things for the right reasons,” Tom said of his character, as he tries to get his passport back and save his nieces’ lives.
He continued, “But what I like about this movie is where the pacing is. He has to navigate every scene without really knowing the outcome. And from a scene standpoint, I had no idea what he was going to do from take to take, and it was really fun to play against Cam and it was so much fun to work with him, because he… Because he’s a sociopath. So we really had fun.”
Cher was caught up in this rivalry and said of her character Sphinx: And I really don’t know what to expect from her next. I think that’s part of what was fun about playing this character. Because this character allowed me to really grow and I found that I could do whatever I needed to do to get the message obviously stay in the role, but have fun with it. This character is a chameleon, so he can express himself very deeply. ”
Cher and Tom talk about the romantic tension between their respective characters and tease that things might get a little steamy.
Cosenza said, “You’ll have to watch the whole movie, but basically it’s pretty exciting. I don’t think we hate each other in any way, that’s for sure.”
Welling added. “Yeah, even when I read the script, I never expected your character, the turns that would actually happen. That’s pretty cool.”
Praising Windhauser, both stars said that Scott has brought a new take on the traditional mafia movie genre.
Cher explained: “I think this gives the film a nice new twist, like a 2024 twist to what’s going on between the fentanyl and everything that’s going on with the characters. I think it actually has a life that extends beyond just this movie because it still has that mafia vibe.”
Tom agreed, saying: “Yeah, I think so. I think what Scott has done is modernize it a little bit, because a lot of the movies and all the new references are old, trying to maintain an old-fashioned way of thinking. Because it’s about school. It’s a new type of gang, a version of the mafia, and they’re trying to modernize it, and I think Scott did a great job of embracing that.”
Not to disappoint, Tom revealed that there’s a little reference to a Smallville easter egg in the movie, a line uttered by a character named Griff, that fans are sure to enjoy and understand.
Tom said what he liked about that moment: “Terry kept walking away from it because I think it was a fan moment and not really a character moment, but I think it worked.” .
Regarding the rumored “Smallville” animated series, Tom confirmed that the project is in the works.
“Yes, Michael. [Rosenbaum] And I…I want the entire cast to do voices. The writers of the original series want to write it. We already have some mock-ups of images…but I think this is more of a fan labor of love than the real thing, and will probably be a blockbuster. ”
Asked if he would ever wear the Superman suit again, Welling said he was open to it, but that he was already the Man of Steel in the eyes of his two sons.
“Years ago, the answer would have been an easy no, but now that my two sons are 5 and 3, I’m a little more accepting.”
Do they know their father was Superman?
He said: “Yeah, my boys love it…It’s like Halloween all year round in my house. They wear different costumes for different characters. I don’t know, but it’s like Halloween all year round. It was about a while ago that I realized they didn’t have a Superman costume. I asked my 5-year-old, “Why don’t you guys have a Superman costume?” And he said, “Because he was taken,” and I said, “What do you mean?” He said, “Because you’re Superman.” And I thought, “Oh, that was so sweet.” ”
“Mafia Wars” is available now on digital and on-demand.
