Most people know Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark from Captain America: The First Avenger and Agent Carter. Now, he's set to be the face of Jesse Custer in AMC's live-action adaptation of the acclaimed Vertigo series Preacher, a role he was "beyond terrified" of, he says, given the pressure to do the character justice.
In an interview, Cooper said he was desperate to be part of Preacher after he read the script for the pilot episode, but he doubted he could pull off Custer in a way in which the producers and the creator Garth Ennis would approve.
"I've never seen characters like it ... and then I was beyond terrified at the prospect of being able to accomplish [the role] and do the character justice for the people who have read the comics growing up," he said.
Custer is one of the hardest characters that Cooper had ever been approached to portray, because it's so removed from who he is as a person. However, the actor turned to the comic books to get as many details as he could about the character, relying on trial and error to get Custer right.
And get Custer right, he did!
Cooper was so nervous about showing Ennis his take on Custer that he recalls he had a little spiel ready in his head, just in case the Preacher creator found casting him to be a big mistake.
Fortunately, Ennis loved what he did, so he's the last person who's going to be walking away from Preacher.
Preacher follows the story of Custer, a West Texas preacher possessed by a supernatural creature. The show screened its pilot episode during SXSW, followed by a panel featuring the creators and stars of the show. An upside-down church installation was also on display during the event.
When Preacher premieres on AMC on May 22, Cooper will be joined by Ruth Negga as Tulip, Custer's ex-girlfriend; Joseph Gilgun as Cassidy, an alcoholic vampire; and Ian Colletti as Arseface, one of the many characters that Custer will meet as he journeys to find God and answers.
