Frank Grillo Is Ready to Lead DC’s New Era With Creature Commandos

IT’S GOOD TO be Frank Grillo. The 59-year-old stalwart actor boasts over 100 credits on his IMDB page, which means there’s probably a good chance you’ve seen him in something. Whether it was his stints in The Purge films (Anarchy and Election Year, respectively), Kingdom, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Tulsa King, or any of his dozens of other credits, the man is the epitome of a working actor. But this week marks a particularly big moment in his career, as he’ll help—alongside James Gunn—to launch the DC Universe of connected projects with Creature Commandos. The first part of the DCU is a bloody, sexual, violent, funny, and heartfelt cartoon about a found family of misfit monsters who are forced together to save the day. In other words, it’s a James Gunn project through and through.

Grillo’s role as Rick Flag Sr. is an important one. He serves as the leader of the Commandos, the audience surrogate, and the comedic straight man to show’s colorful characters. But beyond that, he’s a guy that Gunn has earmarked for a much larger role in the new DCU. Flag Sr. will jump from animation to live-action with appearances in Peacemaker and Superman next year, functioning as the DCU’s mirror of a certain eye-patched government official from the early days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s a big role, and one that Grillo expressed much gratitude to Gunn for in a conversation over Zoom with Men’s Health.

But this week also sees the release of Werewolves, a genre horror movie about a yearly supermoon that turns the citizens of Earth into, well, werewolves for an evening. It’s basically The Purge crossed with Wolf Man, and the film will get a proper theatrical release to battle it out alongside all the big end-of-the-year fare. Grillo’s front, center, and properly shredded to take on the furry beasts. Like we said, it’s good to be him right now.

Ahead of the actor’s big week, Men’s Health spoke to Grillo about Commandos, dancing in Peacemaker, his reaction to David Corenswet’s Superman, and the practical effects on Werewolves.

MEN’S HEALTH: How did Creature Commandos come your way?

FRANK GRILLO: [James] Gunn and I see each other at Marvel events, and it’s always been, like, “We’ve got to work together.” I was such a huge fan of his—I love his writing and his take on things. He said, “Look, I’ve got a couple of things. If they fall into place, you’re gonna be the first call I make.” I’m like, “Okay, I’m sure I’ll be the first call.” True to his word, [when] he and Peter Safran took over DC, he called me up, and he goes, “I’m sending you scripts for a show called Creature Commandos. It’s animated, but our plan is for you to also be in all the live-action with the same character. That’s what we’re gonna do.”

I was like, “Wow.” Again, true to his word, I just wrapped Peacemaker [season 2]. I did a stint on Superman. Look, this is a town where most people are full of shit, and James Gunn and Peter Safran are mensches.

MH: When he came to you, he’d already had the idea that Rick would be in all these other projects?

FG: He said he’d called my agents, and that’s when I knew he was really serious. He called CAA, and he was like, “We’re gonna come to him for Peacemaker. Not yet, because we’re figuring out timing… but we’re gonna come to him. This is the timeframe, so try not to book him out, because we’re coming to him.” Then, Sly called me to do Tulsa King, and I said, “When does this finish? I don’t know if I can be in Oklahoma.” He goes, “We’re in Atlanta.” I go, “Oh my God, that’s where Peacemaker’s gonna shoot!” It all worked out. But that’s how it started. The guy could get any actor he wants; I’m humbled that he chose me and believed in me enough to let me do my thing.

MH: Knowing up front you’re going to have all these commitments, what does your training process look like?

FG: I’m always in shape. I don’t say that with a hubris; it’s just part of my lifestyle. There’s no movie I’m ever gonna do that’s gonna require me to be in better shape than I am [laughs]. I train every day. I box every day at a very high level, and then I do strength and conditioning every day at a very high level. That’s just my lifestyle.

In fact, with Peacemaker, I’m in a suit most of the time because I’ve taken over A.R.G.U.S., so I could’ve [even] been a little fatter!

MH: The shorthand you’ve thrown out there related to Flag is that he’s this Nick Fury-esque figure, who’s going to move from project to project. What does it feel like for you to be this connective tissue?

FG: I always preface it by saying that I’m not comparing myself to Sam Jackson in any way, or saying that it’s going to be as important. I can see how he’s going to connect; you can’t get around it. And that’s by design. So, unless I do something horribly wrong, [laughs], which could happen, I see a great future for Rick Flag Sr.

Now, when I was doing Marvel, I thought Crossbones would be around for a minute, but that didn’t work out. So, who knows?

MH: Having insight into the fact Rick has such an extensive future in front of him, how are you building toward that?

FG: The great thing about James is he’s breathing very thin air as a writer. The way he structures the stories, I see where it’s going just by reading. For Creature Commandos, I got all the scripts—this is generally unheard of. For Peacemaker, I got all the scripts. I read the whole thing at one time; it’s a long movie. Then I can kind of reverse engineer everything and create a character, which he let me do. I had fun doing it.

I become a bit morally ambiguous throughout. It becomes complex, what I’m doing and why I am doing it. It has a lot to do with my son being dead, and so on and so forth. I didn’t change any lines—not that he would let me—and I didn’t need to. I read everybody else’s story over and over again because it all indicated what was going on in the world. It was all right there.

MH: How are you keeping track of how Flag is changing from project to project? Are you looking to James for some of that guidance?

FG: I take copious notes. I read the scripts 50 times. I know the character, but on set, sometimes, I’ll go over to [him], because some of it gets technical, and there’s flashbacks. So I have to go to ask him specific questions about where I am at this moment and how I got right here. What’s this related to from back then?

Especially because on Peacemaker, we would shoot way out of order. We might shoot episode one, and then three, and then five, and then two. Now I’m jumping back and forth and back and forth. It was an interesting journey, because we were so out of order. He was shooting Superman! The guy doesn’t stop. Thank God I did have all the scripts, because my character’s not the same guy in Peacemaker as he is in Creature Commandos. Same guy—[but] he’s not doing the same thing.

MH: One of the things that surprised me about Creature Commandos is the relationship between Rick and David Harbour’s Eric Frankenstein. I know sometimes actors aren’t always in the booth together, but did you have a chance to play off of David for that?

FG: I know David. We did a movie, End of Watch, together. He’s amazing. Brother, this guy shows up, and I was in awe of him. Most of the time, I was by myself, but I was with two people [in the booth], him and Maria Bakalova, because we have a lot of intimate contact.

MH: Intimate is certainly the keyword there.

FG: Yeah! [laughs] But me and Harbour immediately played well off each other. I started to love the relationship, I really did—by the end, it’s amazing. There’s a lot of heartbreak that comes out of his character. James was smart to put us together, because it makes a difference with that. Harbour had me on the floor. I was hysterically laughing because this guy came in as Frankenstein. There was no David Harbour. The level of vulnerability and sadness—right off the bat, you got it. When I watched, I’m like, “This is just genius stuff.” For an animated series, I don’t know about you, but I got choked up. I hope we get another season, because now the characters know each other, so it’ll be another level in the booth, acting-wise.

MH: How are your dance moves for Peacemaker? I saw James say he’s done a new intro for this season, and I want hear what you can tell me about it.

FG: You’re gonna see I’m in the first row. How about that?! It’s like 20 people on stage, and they put me in the first row. I’m a dancer, and a dancer dances. And that’s what I did. I had so much fun. We did it over two days, and everyone was there on stage. It was a big production. I think people are gonna love it.

At first you’re like, “I don’t wanna go. I don’t want to go dance. I don’t know how to dance unless I’m drunk, and I don’t drink anymore.” But we got on stage. We had a great choreographer, and everybody was there. Everybody. We had a ball. It’s gonna be great. And I dance now. Maybe Dancing with the Stars is in my future.

MH: What would be your preferred dance of choice now that you’re a self-proclaimed dancer?

FG: I like abstract jazz [laughs]. I loved it, man. It was like being in Cats.

MH: What’s working with John Cena like?

FG: You know [what’s] interesting about Cena? He comes from of the world of WWE, and you have an idea in your head. The first time I met Cena, I was at a restaurant with my girlfriend. We were having dinner. I didn’t see him, but he was on the other side of the restaurant. I went to pay, and the waiter said, “Your bill’s been taken care of.” I said, “By who?” He pointed to John, and John waved.

That was my introduction to Cena. Then I got to work with him… he’s one of the funniest people I know. Really intelligent guy. Really professional. He’s in on the joke. I couldn’t say enough nice things about him. He’s a gentleman, and one of the biggest human beings I’ve ever seen in my life [laughs]. I mean, his arms are like hams.

MH: If that’s coming from you, especially after having just seen you in Werewolves where you’re like a Mack Truck… I can’t imagine how much bigger he must be.

FG: I am an 8-year-old boy compared to John Cena. He’s the freak. He’s just built like an Adonis, like a real Hercules. As big and strong as he looks, that’s how gentle he speaks. Anything anybody asks of him, he does, whether he wants to or not. He’s super kind and super polite. I’m not that way. And I’m like, “I’ve gotta be a little bit more like John Cena.” His patience and his attitude towards everybody—he’s a great human being.

MH: I don’t know how much you can talk about Superman, but what surprised you about David Corenswet’s performance?

FG: What I will say about David, when I saw him first walk out, is his level of confidence. He certainly physically fits the bill, which is great. But it’s only a fraction of what you need. His level of confidence and how he knew who he was and what he was doing, at least in the scenes I was in with him, blew me away.

I’d never heard of him. I didn’t know who he was, but I don’t know a lot. I mean, this singer just bought a house next to me, Lizzo. I said to my sons, “Did you ever hear of this person, Lizzo?” And they go, “Dad, are you kidding me?” And I go, “She bought the house next door!” Anyway, I didn’t know who he was, so I didn’t know what to expect. I loved Henry Cavill; I thought he was great and also beautiful, looked like Superman. I think people are gonna be pleased with David, and his version of Superman, and what James Gunn is doing. I was. There are two superheroes that I, as a child and as a young adult, loved: Superman and Spider-Man. And they’re still, to this day, my favorites. But Superman is really my favorite. And I’m excited.

MH: Do you like the ability to jump into big-budget, big studio stuff and then have the opportunity to play in genre worlds like with Werewolves? What does that give you as far as flexibility to bounce between those two things?

FG: It’s funny you say that, brother, because I just said this not too long ago. I walk around going, “I haven’t quite made it yet.” And, you know, I’m old. So what I try to do, based on what I get offered, is try to get into things where I can elevate something, and people will wanna see it. Werewolves is a classic example of a movie that should not have a theatrical release. It’s a small movie. It was a good script. Steven Miller is a great director, a younger director. He hasn’t had any movies widely released.

So my idea was, let’s go make something cool for the streamers, right? I love werewolf stories, and they’re gonna do practical—it’s Alec Gillis, he’s one of the best costume designers in the business. So I said, “It sounds like a bunch of really great people.” Here’s a testament to everyone involved: We got a wide release, a theatrical release. We’re gonna open in theaters next to Gladiator II and Wicked. It’s me trying to create a semblance of a career that is in front of me. Those are my opportunities.

People say, “Oh, that was a terrible movie. Why’d you do that?” Well, I have to feed my kids. Fincher didn’t call me. Scorsese was busy with DiCaprio. I don’t know what to tell you. I’m sorry you’re disappointed, but it’s also my job, and I have to keep working. [laughs]. I try to find the very best of what I think can I contribute to. That’s why I have a storied career [laughs].

This interview has been edited for content and clarity.

Stream Creature Commandos Here