At the opening of his FanX panel on Thursday, “Shazam” actor Zachary Levi invited members of his audience to turn to their neighbor, introduce themselves and express gratitude for their new acquaintance’s presence.
After the brief introductions, the crowd quieted down and Levi got emotional.
While fighting off tears, the actor said to the audience, “We are living in really wacky times, guys. ... And if we don’t start seeing each other as human beings, if we don’t stop dehumanizing each other, we are going to keep going down really wacky roads.”
He continued, “Let’s love each other.”
During the second half of the panel, Levi prompted the audience to participate in another activity. He asked those who struggle with stress in their lives to raise a hand, then those who experience anxiety to raise a hand and finally, asked those who suffer from depression to raise their hands.
“I like to do this with my panels because I think it’s incredibly important for context and for all of us to understand each other,” Levi said. “We’re all struggling. We’re all dealing with these things ... this is why we have got to love ourselves. This is why we have to love each other.”
Levi got emotional for a second time as he detailed his own experiences with anxiety.
He told the audience that while watching Disney’s “Inside Out 2,” he related deeply with the “Anxiety” character, triggering him to cry “uncontrollably” in the movie theater.
“Also, I’m not embarrassed about this. We should all cry. It’s important. Especially guys.” Levi added after sharing his experience. “It’s beautiful.”
Levi wants to make a ‘Chuck’ movie
Levi, who starred as Chuck Bartowski in five seasons of the action-comedy series “Chuck,” said he thinks the series and its fans are “deserving” of a movie reboot.
“I am actively, and have been actively, trying to get Warner Brothers — who owns the rights to ‘Chuck’ — to be open to at least allowing me to go make a ‘Chuck’ movie."
He continued, “I feel like ‘Chuck’ is so deserving of a comeback.”
Levi added that since “Chuck” concluded on a cliffhanger, the fans are also “deserving” of seeing the show’s ending get resolved.
In the near future, Levi said he might release something on social media urging fans to sign a petition to bring the series back in the form of a movie.
“If I can get enough signatures,” Levi said, “I think we can make that thing happen. And I think that would be cool.”