{"id":422512,"date":"2026-08-03T11:50:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T11:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/422512\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T11:50:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T11:50:11","slug":"despite-end-of-wonder-man-yahya-abdul-mateen-ii-still-has-big-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/422512\/","title":{"rendered":"Despite end of ‘Wonder Man,’ Yahya Abdul-Mateen II still has big year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When Yahya Abdul-Mateen II<\/a> was cast in Marvel\u2019s \u201cWonder Man,\u201d<\/a> it was just the latest smash for an actor who\u2019s enjoyed a string of them. But the moment also made him reflect on the days, not long ago, when success hardly seemed guaranteed. \u201c\u2018Wonder Man\u2019 came out at the 10-year anniversary of me graduating from Yale Drama,\u201d he recalls over Zoom from New York. \u201cI remember being in those classrooms: \u2018Nobody knows that I\u2019m here. But as soon as I get out in the world, everybody\u2019s going to know.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Before Yale, he\u2019d been on a different career path. He received his undergraduate degree in architecture from UC Berkeley, working in city planning until he got laid off, which, along with the death of his father, prompted him to pursue his true love: acting. When his time at Yale was over, he felt raring to go. \u201cI turned 29 on my first job,\u201d says Abdul-Mateen, laughing as he voices his impetuous younger self: \u201cI\u2019m young, I\u2019m handsome, I got something to say, put me to work!\u201d<\/p>\n

Recently turned 40, Abdul-Mateen has certainly let the world know who he is, collecting an Emmy as Doctor Manhattan in HBO\u2019s reimagined 2019 \u201cWatchmen\u201d series<\/a> and earning a Tony nomination for the 2022 revival of Suzan-Lori Parks\u2019 \u201cTopdog\/Underdog.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s now nominated for an Emmy for lead actor in a comedy series for \u201cWonder Man,\u201d playing Simon Williams, a struggling actor hiding the fact that he has superpowers, which would get him barred from the industry. Droll and thoughtful, \u201cWonder Man\u201d is Marvel\u2019s most grounded offering yet, largely eschewing spectacle to focus on the insecurities of a guy who fears he\u2019ll never get his big break.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Yahya Adbul-Mateen II as Simon Williams in \u201cWonder Man.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Marvel Television)<\/p>\n

Ironically apropos given its subject matter, after our interview but before publication, Disney+ canceled the series, which it had initially renewed for a second season in March. (\u201cThat\u2019s life, right?\u201d Abdul-Mateen posted on Instagram<\/a> in response to the news. \u201cEverything will shake out.\u201d ) Still, at a time when Marvel\u2019s Hollywood dominance is waning, the series represented a welcome change in which the actor\u2019s commanding, complicated performance shines. He stars alongside Ben Kingsley<\/a>, whose pompous thespian Trevor Slattery befriends Simon while secretly working with the nefarious Department of Damage Control. The series received glowing reviews for its hangout vibe and a lack of the global stakes that often burden Marvel projects. But Abdul-Mateen argues that \u201cWonder Man\u201d is actually far more urgent than its premise suggests.<\/p>\n

\u201cMan, the stakes were out of this world for Simon,\u201d he says. \u201cIn some of the more traditional Marvel shows, those stakes take place at the scale of the universe. We took those same stakes and just put them on the inside.\u201d That intimate approach was important for Abdul-Mateen from his first meeting with Marvel President Kevin Feige, who he told, \u201cI want to play a character who can eat a hamburger or have a beer, who\u2019s a real three-dimensional human being. And I want to show people that I\u2019m funny.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWonder Man\u201d indeed reveals this dramatic actor\u2019s lighter side, but it\u2019s Abdul-Mateen\u2019s consistent ability to draw out his characters\u2019 vulnerability that\u2019s wielded so effectively. Simon is often his own worst enemy, letting his self-absorption and professional hang-ups derail him. And fans have responded \u2014 indeed, Abdul-Mateen has been touched by how often passersby want to talk about the show\u2019s non-superhero aspects.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve heard from people who\u2019d stopped [pursuing a dream] who said, \u2018Naw, I\u2019m going to give it one more try.\u2019\u201d He references \u201cWonder Man\u2019s\u201d most emotional scene, when Simon is in his junky Toyota Camry with Trevor, pondering quitting acting. \u201cHe\u2019s sitting in the reality of \u2018Wow, I have to do something else.\u2019 That\u2019s been the case for a lot of people who I\u2019ve run into. And it\u2019s not always actors. My doorman pulled me to the side \u2014 he just said, \u2018Hey,\u2019 and pointed to his heart. Who knows what he has a dream of? Anyone who has an idea that they\u2019re leaving something on the table, they\u2019ve related to the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simon\u2019s powers flare up uncontrollably when he\u2019s beset by anxiety and self-doubt. Like any actor, Abdul-Mateen understands those dark, intrusive thoughts \u2014 but those worries also fuel his performances. \u201cWhat if this isn\u2019t well received?\u201d he asked himself while preparing for \u201cWonder Man.\u201d \u201cWhat if this is my one big shot to make a mark? At all levels of success, it\u2019s just a human thing to experience doubt. But I really did enjoy going back and finding the parts of myself that have grown in the ways that Simon hasn\u2019t had a chance to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Yahya <\/p>\n

(Bexx Francois \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

The dampening effect of \u201cWonder Man\u2019s\u201d cancellation aside, Abdul-Mateen, who also starred in Netflix\u2019s \u201cMan on Fire\u201d series this spring, has more on the horizon this year. He\u2019ll soon be appearing in David Fincher\u2019s still-untitled sequel to \u201cOnce Upon a Time … in Hollywood,\u201d which sees Brad Pitt reprising his Oscar-winning role as Cliff Booth, with a script from Quentin Tarantino. Did Abdul-Mateen have Simon-like jitters signing up for one of this fall\u2019s most highly anticipated movies?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou work with someone as talented as David and Quentin, they make the work easy,\u201d he replies. \u201cThose situations are not very stressful, actually. By the time I\u2019m standing on my mark, I have everything that I need in order to be successful. Sir Ben Kingsley says, \u2018Great actors make other actors look great.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

When Abdul-Mateen was starting out, he didn\u2019t like taking stock on his birthday. But now, at 40, he\u2019s willing to allow himself a moment to think about where he\u2019s been, and where he still wants to go.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like 40,\u201d he says, smiling. \u201cIt has a bit more gravitas to it. And what I relate to in Simon is the part of me that has a dream. Every time I finish a job, that\u2019s when the dreams start to kick up: \u2018Boy, I hope I do something like this!\u2019\u2019 That\u2019s the thing about being an artist: The need to express oneself is always real.\u201d<\/p>\n