INTERVIEW: Phil Morris Wanted To Go Full Martian For 'Smallville'

Phil Morris is no stranger to sci-fi and genre fans. Throughout his career, the versatile actor has appeared in Knight Rider, Babylon 5, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and numerous versions of Star Trek (TOS, The Search for Spock, Voyager, and Deep Space Nine).

One of his more recent popular recurring roles was on The CW's Smallville, playing Metropolis Homicide Detective John Jones. DC Comics fans knew him better as the human alter ego of the alien superhero J'onn J'onnz, the Martian Manhunter.

Keeping to the Smallville tradition, Morris' earthly John Jones wardrobe was often reminiscent of the Martian Manhunter costume. Throughout the show's run, the writers were always keen on including clever nods to the comic book source material, some being more overt than others.

Morris appeared as a human on the show and never had the opportunity to go on camera in the character's full true alien form, which would have required extensive prosthetics and hours in the make-up chair.

While taking questions from the online press at the Justice League: Doom NYC premiere, I asked the actor if at any point he was approached by the show's producers to play a version that was visually closer to the character's comic book origins.

"I had one flash, in the two-parter ['Absolute Justice']. I get knocked into this canister and they flash to it," he revealed about a quick CGI glimpse of J'onzz in his alien form.

"I told them I would pull a Michael Dorn." he admitted in reference to the Star Trek: The Next Generation actor who endured hours of make-up each day to play the Klingon Worf.  "I’d do it," he affirmed. "If I could buy F-18’s like Michael does with his money," he added with a laugh.

"Just to legitimize the character into bringing him to the place that most of the fans know him as, I would have done it, and happy to do it. I've done a lot of Star Treks, I've been Jem'Hardar and Klingons, I don't mind that. I meditate through that stuff," Morris said.

"It would have been a wonderful place to go, but not my show."

He was then asked about possibly revisiting the character on the small screen, or having an interest in any of the upcoming television shows based on comics books. Morris revealed an anthology concept he would have been eager to pursue if given the opportunity.

"I would have loved to have seen J'onn J'onzz anthologized. I really thought we could have done J'onn J'onzz as a Rod Serling of the DC Universe, so we have him bookend the show. Every so often the episode would focus on J'onn, but then we bring out these characters in the DC Universe that aren’t in the movies and aren’t in the films right now," he said.

"You can do the same kind of due diligence they did with Smallville, but you feature them for a three episode arc. J'onn opens it like Rod Serling, then you see the thing, and then J'onn bookends it. That would have been awesome."


Morris can be heard as the voice of the villainous immortal Vandal Savage in Justice League: Doom, which hits Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD on February 28th. He joins an all star voice cast that includes Tim Daly (Superman), Kevin Conroy (Batman), Nathan Fillion (Green Lantern), Michael Rosenbaum (Flash), and Olivia d'Abo (Star Sapphire).

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