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Shazam! star Zachary Levi was 'bitter' that he did not become 'The Rock or Chris Evans,' it has been claimed - after he backed Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
Levi, 44, announced he was supporting the former president when he hosted a Team Trump's Reclaim America Tour event in Michigan last month.
While speaking onstage, he declared that his endorsement constituted an act of 'career suicide' in 'very, very liberal Hollywood.'
Now a source who claims to have known Levi for years says the actor had been resentful over the fact he had failed to become an industry A-lister.
'When he was cast as Shazam, it was literally his dream. He thought this was his ticket to being The Rock or Chris Evans. But it didn’t happen for him, and he’s bitter about that,' the source told The Hollywood Reporter.
Shazam! star Zachary Levi was 'bitter' that he did not become 'The Rock or Chris Evans,' it has been claimed - after he backed Donald Trump for president in 2024
Since 2017, Levi has lived on a sprawling 75-acre cattle ranch near Austin, Texas after selling his Los Angeles residence, according to Men's Journal.
Two years later, he appeared in the first Shazam! movie, which earned a warm response from the critics and did well enough financially to get a sequel.
However when the follow-up movie Shazam! Fury Of The Gods arrived last year, it was met with critical scorn and flopped at the box office.
This year he starred in the fantasy comedy Harold And The Purple Crayon amid a cast that included Lil Rel Howery, Alfred Molina and Zooey Deschanel.
The film bowed in August and failed even to earn its budget back, on top of which it holds a 26% rating on the review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes.
In recent years, Levi has also acted in faith-based movies like the 2021 release American Underdog and next year's The Unbreakable Boy.
One month after Harold And The Purple Crayon bombed at the box office, Levi appeared at the Michigan event where he publicly endorsed Trump.
While hosting Team Trump's Reclaim America Tour in September, Levi, 44, revealed he will be voting for the former president in the upcoming election.
Levi, 44, announced he was supporting the former president when he hosted a Team Trump's Reclaim America Tour event in Michigan last month; Trump pictured Friday at a rally in Reno
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is pictured in August at the Disney Entertainment Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim, California
Chris Evans is pictured at New York Comic Con in October 2023 at the Javits Center
After his first pick, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., dropped out of the race, Levi said that with the two options left Trump 'is the man that can get us there.'
'This year, I found Bobby Kennedy, and I thought, man this guy, this guy's it,' the Tangled star said.
'And in a perfect world, whatever that would look like, perhaps I would have voted for Bobby, but we don't live in a perfect world. In fact, we live in a very broken one.'
He continued: 'We live in a country that has been hijacked by a lot of people who want to take this place way off the cliff. And we're here to stop that, right?'
The crowd started cheering for the Hollywood star as he used Trump's coined phrase: 'We are going to make America great again!'
'And so, I stand with Bobby, and I stand with Tulsi, and I stand with everyone else who is standing with President Trump, because I do believe that of the two choices that we have, and we only have two, Donald Trump, President Trump, is the man that can get us there,' Levi said.
He added that Trump will get America there because he has 'the backing and the support and the wisdom and the knowledge, and the fight' that RFK and US Rep. Tulsi Gabbard have.
Despite endorsing Trump now, back in 2020, Levi openly shared how he wasn't a fan of the Republican.
He added that Trump will get America there because he has 'the backing and the support and the wisdom and the knowledge, and the fight' that RFK ( right) and US Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (middle) have
Despite endorsing Trump now, back in 2020, Levi openly shared how he wasn't a fan of the Republican
'I am no fan or supporter of Trump, and I find his behavior to be vulgar, callous, narcissistic, and lacking empathy.
'And while I’m not a Conservative, I know many who backed 45 not because they liked him, but because he was the only candidate they felt cared about their needs,' he previously tweeted.
Levi has always taken a stance in politics as he previously shared his skepticism with vaccines and criticized the SAG-AFTRA strike.
The actor also expressed how he blamed Dwayne Johnson after the DC superhero movie Shazam didn't do well in the box office.
Just hours after an explosive report claimed that Johnson, the Black Adam star, vetoed a possible cameo from Levi, he confirmed the report.
Levi starred in 2019's Shazam!, which fared well but wasn't a massive box office hit, opening to $53.5 million en route to $140.4 million domestic and $366 million worldwide from a $100 million budget and strong reviews (91% on Rotten Tomatoes).
The actor also expressed how he blamed Dwayne Johnson after the DC superhero movie Shazam didn't do well in the box office. (pictured: Levi as Shazam)
Levi returned for the sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which debuted over the weekend with a disappointing $30.1 million opening weekend and 51% on RT.
A report from The Wrap revealed that Johnson vetoed both a cameo from Levi as Shazam in Black Adam and a post-credit scene with other members of Black Adam's Justice Society of America.
While insiders are claiming Johnson's maneuvering to position himself and his Black Adam character at the center of the DC Universe may have had a hand in tanking both Black Adam and the Shazam franchise, Levi essentially confirmed the report in a carefully-worded Instagram story post.
Levi shared the post - which tagged both Levi and Johnson - as the actor added his own caption at the bottom: 'The truth shall set you free' with an upside-down smiley face and prayer hands emoji.
Levi is one of many celebrities that have announced their endorsement for Trump, joining Hulk Hogan, Kid Rock, Dana White, Amber Rose, Jason Aldean, Dave Portnoy, Elon Musk, Rosanne Barr and Azealia Banks, among others.
