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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Stars Sarah Shahi, Noah Centineo and Quintessa Swindell said Black Adam, in theaters Friday, reminded them of important social issues in the world. Shahi, 42, plays Adrianna, a freedom fighter in the fictional country Kahndaq, who awakens Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson). Shahi's parents, Abbas and Mahmonir, left Iran for Texas, where Sarah was born in 1980.
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"I wouldn't be talking to you if it weren't for the bravery that my mother showed over 40 years ago," Shahi told UPI in a recent phone interview. "She was protesting for the same things they're protesting for today."
Shahi said the fictional Kahndaq reminded her of battles Iran and other Middle Eastern countries still fight in the real world. An occupying force called Intergang has taken over Kahndaq, and killed Adrianna's husband before the film begins.
When Black Adam begins fighting Intergang, the Justice Society considers the potential danger of Kahndaq having their own superhero. This leads Adrianna to ask them where they've been when Kahndaq needed their help before.
"Things are never just black and white in life," Shahi said. "Where were you when we needed a hero?"
Adrianna is also a single mother to Amon (Bodhi Sabongui). As a single mother to 13-year-old William and 2-year-old twins Violet and Knox, Shahi said she could also relate to Adrianna's struggle to keep Amon out of trouble when he admires Black Adam.
"There's nothing more honorable, in my opinion, than that of a mother who's trying to protect her children," Shahi said. "I just know how, as a mother, there are certain things that you are not able to provide your teenage son."
In real life, starring in Black Adam did earn Shahi William's respect.
"I've really never been cool to him, which is fine," Shahi said. "I think it gives my son a little bit of bragging rights at his school."
Centineo and Swindell play Justice Society recruits brought in to help contain Black Adam. Swindell, 25, plays Cyclone, a White character in the comic books.
A negative reaction to her casting from comic book fans reminded Swindell that the battle for equality continues.
"It was a learning experience," Swindell said. "As soon as I saw a lot of those comments, I was just like, 'I'm going to make this the best thing I possibly can [and] be true to the comic and to who this character is despite race.'"
Swindell considers her efforts a success. She said that she has not heard further criticism since filming Black Adam.
"That's the only thing that matters," Swindell said. "You can look at something, no matter the criticism, and be proud of it."
Centineo, 26, plays Atom Smasher, whose power is to grow to enormous sizes. Centineo said he has felt nothing but love from comic book fans.
Likewise, Centineo said he was fortunate to be supported by the fans of Jenny Han's books when he starred in the To All the Boys films.
"I don't want to compare the two because it's all love at the end of the day," Centineo said. "The passion that we all felt making this movie has been received and is being reflected back toward us."
Simply being cast with other Middle Eastern actors was monumental to Shahi, who craved the kind of representation Black Adam offers when she was growing up.
"Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Spider-Girl, those were never characters that I could necessarily see myself in," Shahi said. "I'm Middle Eastern, I had a unibrow growing up."
Swindell also recalls watching Angelina Jolie in action as a kid and wishing that could be her on-screen one day.
"I remember watching Tomb Raider with my dad and just thinking how cool that character was," Swindell said. "I love how I feel when I do this and I'd love to do it more."
Centineo began acting when he was 8 and made his first movie, The Gold Retrievers, at 15. Centineo said playing Atom Smasher reminded him of his childhood fantasies.
"If we take the career out of it, I think I grew up wanting to be a superhero, thinking that I had the powers," Centineo said.
Playing Atom Smasher did require Centineo to bulk up. The actor shared some of his workout videos on Instagram, but said he expects to change his body as each role warrants.
"Ideally, the body will shift and it will morph depending on the character we're working on, what the narrative is and what feels like the best," Centineo said. "I certainly enjoyed eating the amount of calories that I did every day and watching my body change."
Centineo trained with Kirk Myers, but said he still doesn't think he could keep up with Johnson.
"I never trained with Dwayne," Centineo said. "He would kill me. He would crush me. That's a terrifying concept."
Swindell trained to depict Cyclone's wind control powers. Cyclone spins as she manipulates wind, and Swindell trained in dance and movement to portray the flow.
"I was doing some circus stuff and just getting my flexibility down to be able to sustain the movement, the flipping, the twisting," Swindell said. "Just getting my body to a place where I could navigate it."
Even though Adrianna does not have superpowers in the first Black Adam movie, Shahi trained, too. Brian Chapman and Ryan Farhoudi helped Shahi look like a freedom fighter who has led a physical life.
"It was all about having muscles that looked practical, looking like what it would look like for a woman in that country that has had to fight probably," Shahi said. Adrianna "has had to climb and scale walls, was put in perilous situations."
