Simon Williams wants to become a successful actor while keeping his superpowers secret. The central conflict is not the powers breaking out, but the fear and doubts that prevent him from believing he can succeed. Yahya Abdul-Mateen describes the “secret” as Simon not thinking he can do it, using powers as a convenient excuse. Abdul-Mateen also explains his own path into acting as different from his character’s. He describes a desire to be noticed and to take up space, leading him to pursue acting after leaving architecture and urban planning. He recalls early stage work with only two lines and the rush of nerves and excitement before performing.
"“That's not the secret. Simon's secret is that he doesn't actually think that he can do it,” said Abdul-Mateen. “It's the convenient excuse. 'Oh, I have these powers, what if my powers break out?' You're not worried about the powers. There's something else going on. Move, move, move. I see you. You don't believe in yourself. You want to do it, but you have doubts. Oh, you're afraid. Oh, man, you don't have to be afraid.”"
"“I had a tendency to take up space and to be one of the people in the bunch who was attracted to the light. But that's really what it was about. It was feeding the thing in me that liked to be the center of attention,” he said, sharing what made him pursue acting in the first place. During his first performance, in a play called “Measure to Measure” staged around 2007 or 2008, he only had two lines (“Eleven, sir” and “Lord Angelo is severe”)."
"“I had a tendency to take up space and to be one of the people in the bunch who was attracted to the light. But that's really what it was about. It was feeding the thing in me that liked to be the center of attention,” he said, sharing what made him pursue acting in the first place. The actor remembered feeling a rush of nerves and excitement waiting in the wings, peeking out to see who was in attendance."
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