Joe Manganiello talks 'Archenemy' and the heartbreak of learning he would no longer play Deathstroke in 'The Batman.'

Ever since he was cast as Deathstroke in Ben Affleck’s now-defunct The Batman, Joe Manganiello’s fans have been waiting for Hollywood to finally unleash the actor in another Deathstroke or superhero project. And now, four years later, Manganiello is starring as Max Fist in Adam Egypt Mortimer’s Archenemy, which the actor also produced alongside his brother, Nick Manganiello, Elijah Wood and Legion M. While the indie has the trappings of a superhero film, Manganiello didn’t approach the role of Max like he was a superhero nor does he think he even played one. Instead, he played a mentally ill homeless man who suffers from alcoholism and drug addiction, which would explain his delusional talk of being a superpowered being from another dimension.

“A lot of people are going to call this movie a superhero movie or an indie superhero movie, but I didn’t get to play a superhero,” Manganiello tells The Hollywood Reporter. “The movie was about someone who’s mourning the loss of their vitality and has fallen into drugs, drinking and homelessness as a result. I worked very closely with a guy who had been homeless for 20 years and he was very forthcoming with me about what life was like. I also had a meth coach that I brought to set with me and we had long discussions about methamphetamines and using methamphetamines.”