• David Denman has spoken of his surprise over who he’s playing in Peacemaker season 2
  • He’s one of many new additions to this season’s cast
  • Denman wasn’t 100% certain about which role he was auditioning for

David Denman has lifted the lid on the audition process for the role he eventually landed in Peacemaker season 2.

Ahead of the HBO Max show’s return, I sat down with Denman to find out if and/or when he knew which character he’d be playing, and spoke about having the creative freedom to give life to someone who doesn’t exist in DC Comics. Full spoilers immediately follow for this season’s premiere, aka ‘The Ties That Grind’. Turn back now if you haven’t watched it yet.

A close up of Keith Smith outside at night in Peacemaker season 2 episode 1

Say hello to Keith Smith, everyone (Image credit: HBO Max)

Despite the trades all but confirming Denman would appear in Peacemaker‘s second season last June, his character reveal was strictly kept under wraps until the series’ first episode aired yesterday evening (August 21) or overnight (August 22), depending on where you live.

‘The Ties That Grind’ finally revealed the mysterious individual Denman would be playing. In short: it’s Keith Smith, aka the titular anti-hero’s brother.

It’s a reveal with a big twist. Indeed, last season’s seventh episode revealed Chris accidentally killed Keith when they were kids – Keith falling, hitting his head on a rock, and having a life-ending seizure after Chris punched him during the latest fight that their father Auggie regularly sets up to make money out of.

However, one of the best HBO Max shows‘ sophomore installment takes place in two realities. The first, aka the DC Universe (DCU), is the one that Peacemaker‘s Chris Smith hails from. The second is a parallel universe that an inebriated Smith stumbles upon via the Quantum Unfolding Chamber (QUC). It’s in this alternate dimension that Keith and Auggie are not only still alive in but, alongside this world’s Chris Smith, are celebrated heroes who operate as a Justice League-style group known as The Top Trio.

An image of an honorary key to the city of Evergreen in Peacemaker season 2 episode 1

Keith, Auggie, and this parallel world’s Chris are heroes known collectively as The Top Trio (Image credit: HBO Max)

For Denman, the opportunity to play a wholly original creation – one penned by long-time friend and DC Studios co-chief James Gunn, no less – is one he called “incredibly exciting” during our chat. And, while Denman “had a feeling” he’d portray Chris Smith’s older brother, who also goes by the superhero pseudonym Captain Triumph, in the DCU Chapter One project if he successfully landed the role, he wasn’t completely sure his personal theory would be proved right.

“I’ve been friends with James for 20 years,” Denman said. “I’m also good friends with Steve Agee [who plays John Economos] – we did the movie Brightburn [written and directed by Gunn] together, and Freddit [Stroma, who plays Adrian Chase/Vigilante] did 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi a few years before that, so it wasn’t like I was coming in completely cold [to this show’s cast].

“But, I didn’t know who I was auditioning for. I had a feeling because of the dummy sides [excerpts of a script that aren’t used in the official production], but I was just piecing two and two together.

A wide shot of Keith, Chris, and Auggie sharing a drink in a lounge in Peacemaker season 2 episode 1

We wonder what’ll happen when Keith and Auggie find out what Chris did to his alternate universe self… (Image credit: HBO Max)

“Once I knew [I’d got the part] and that Keith wasn’t in the comics, it created freedom because you’re not living up to anything that’s come before,” Denman continued. “I had to have certain things – I had to be as big as John [Cena, who plays Chris Smith] and look like the kid who played Keith in season one, but there was a lot of freedom to figure out the character. James and I talked about who this guy was, what his relationship was like with this alternate version of his father, and what it means to be a hero in this world to create that backstory.

“I also had to figure out this camaraderie that Keith has with his dad and Chris. Robert [Patrick, who plays Auggie] and John already had chemistry because they’d worked together before, so I needed to jump in and see how Keith fit into that dynamic. James also creates a safety net for us to fail while filming because he wants us to ad-lib or he’s busy rewriting the script, so you can throw different things out there, which was all incredibly exciting.”

Peacemaker season 2 episode 1 is out now where HBO Max is available, as well as more of the world’s best streaming services in other territories. Check out my Peacemaker season 2 release schedule guide to find out when new episodes will drop.

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