Echo's Vincent D'Onofrio wants to play Kingpin for "as long as the powers that be will have me"
Wilson Fisk has returned to stay, if the man who plays him has anything to say about it
Echo and Daredevil: Born Again star Vincent D'Onofrio says he wants to play Kingpin for a very long time, and reveals why the job is much easier now.
Things might be looking up (or at least, slightly better) for the House of M as Marvel Studios and Disney rethink their strategy for the brand on the big and small screens. Echo recently premiered its five-episode first (and possibly only) season on Disney+ to decent critical acclaim after much negative talk surrounding the post-production process, and plans for more grounded shows have casual viewers perking up their ears again.
Meanwhile, Wilson Fisk (aka Kingpin) actor Vincent D'Onofrio, one of the most (if not the most) renowned faces on the TV side of Marvel, keeps saying the right things and expressing his excitement about the future of his character and his longtime enemy Daredevil. So much so that he's game for a long second tenure as Kingpin: "So yeah, I mean, as long as the powers that be will have me, I can't see not playing this part, it's so much fun," he told ComicBook.com last week.
D'Onofrio has shown lots of love for the part over the years, well after the cancellation of Netflix's Daredevil show, but his renewed interest has a very reasonable explanation: "The only thing that could have held me back would be if I just had to keep on putting on all that weight and keep it on... And so I don't have to do that anymore, so I'm in the best shape I've been in a long time... I love these new kinds of ways that they actually construct the muscle fat suits that I have to wear. I think they finally work and feel right and look good... That helps a lot because it's not the healthiest thing in the world to keep putting weight on and taking it off again."
Many comic book movie/TV actors have been vocal in the past about the risks of pushing their bodies too hard time and again to embody muscular or large characters, so it's great to see Hollywood coming up with useful (and highly practical) alternatives that don't endanger the actors' health. In the case of Kingpin's most recent appearances, the results are fantastic, and we're sure most viewers won't even question whether that's all D'Onofrio or tricks have been employed.
Struggling to keep up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe despite the current slowdown? Be sure to check out our definitive guide to what's coming to both cinemas and TV.
