Before the cast of Black Adam stood on stage at Hall H to present exclusive footage to about 6,500 people, the actors behind the upcoming DC superhero flick got to watch an initial cut of the complete movie together. We caught up with them after their panel to ask them what they thought about it. We spoke with Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, and Quintessa Swindell about their reactions to the first look, their experience in Hall H, and also talked a little bit about their characters.

Hodge plays Carter Hall aka Hawkman, an archaeologist and reincarnated Egyptian prince. Not only is he the leader of the Justice Society of America, but he also can fly thanks to his Nth metal wings. Hodge was previously seen in Leverage, One Night in Miami..., Hidden Figures, and Underground.

As the leader of the JSA, Hodge plays not only a pivotal role in the film but also embodies a classic DC superhero. Hodge talked about the surreal moments of playing a superhero:

"The most surreal moment for me was the very first time – there's a couple of moments honestly – the moment that [Dwayne Johnson] called me to tell me that I got the job because I didn't believe him. And the moment that I first put on the costume, tried it on, and then the next was the moment I stood on set. We were all together for the first time in costume, and we were like, 'Oh, this is cool as hell.' We were children, kids in a candy store. There are so many pivotal moments from this experience that I'll always keep with me, and it just keeps getting better and better. And now this, Hall H is another one."

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Image via DC/Warner Bros.

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But when it came to what impressed Hodge the most, it was more about what was happening behind the camera. He talked about what it was like seeing Director Jaume Collet-Serra and cinematographer Lawrence Sher working together on set and the synergy they had. "It was amazing," he said, adding, "Every single time I saw the graphics team work, they're sitting there cutting and editing while we were shooting. It's the fastest and most intricate editing I've ever seen in my entire 33-year career. We had a top-notch team, and it was wonderful to watch them work."

Centineo plays Al Rothstein aka Atom Smasher, a metahuman who can control his own molecular structure, allowing him to grow and shrink in size. He is also a member of the JSA. Centineo is known for his meteoric rise in the teen rom-com To All The Boys I've Loved Before as well as his performance in The Fosters.

Centineo talked about the fact that Al has a "healthy amount of fear" for Black Adam (Johnson), but also that the movie allowed both Al and Maxine to grow as superheroes.

"You get to see Al and Maxine become superheroes. They start as young meta-humans and they really learn what it is and what it means to be a superhero and that's very special. It's a cool perspective and you have two people trying to pave their way in this world, which I think is very relatable."

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Image via Warner Bros.

Swindell plays Maxine Hunkel aka Cyclone, who is the granddaughter of Red Tornado, giving her the power to spin and control wind and sound. Swindell is known for their performance as Tabitha Foster in Trinkets and has also appeared in the sci-fi movie Voyagers.

Swindell agreed with Centineo on finding a path for their character throughout the film. Given that Maxine is the granddaughter of such an impactful character, they talked about working with the legacy of her grandparent. "As Cyclone, it's under the guise of thinking how do you match that? How do you match that legacy? And also, how do you somewhat be different in a way? And I feel like that's what she's really trying to figure out."

As a non-binary actor, we talked to Swindell about their perspective on representation in the industry and how it has been for their experience in finding acceptance in the industry:

"It's just so special, knowing that I don't have to, and I've never had to, hide such an important part of my identity for the sake of wanting to work in this industry. I feel like this movie was also just like a massive confirmation of that. I hope in some way or another it can serve as representation for like other trans youth or trans actors, no matter what spectrum they're on, passing, not passing, all that bullshit. It doesn't matter as long as you want to do what you want to do, then anything is truly possible."

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Image via Warner Brothers

After seeing the first full cut of the movie, we also asked the cast to give us their first reactions to seeing the movie. "Incredible. That's all I can say," exclaimed Hodge. "Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. I'm so impressed and blown away. The way that they executed story, tone, relationships, the way it ends. I'm speaking from a fan perspective, somebody who sees all this stuff, and I'm actually a fan, it is incredible."

For Centineo it was about seeing the size and scope of the movie. "Very emotional and awesome," he said, in response to his first reaction. Continuing on to say, "It just makes me feel so grateful to be a part of something of this size and with these incredibly talented individuals all coming together as a family."

Swindell talked about seeing the incorporation of VFX and how they finally got to see their character using her power on screen. "It was crazy, it was insane, because we had seen some VFX every now and then, but it was just phenomenal," they praised. They added that seeing how Cyclone moves and seeing all the elements brought together was really amazing. "I think it's the proudest thing I've ever done, you know? I just care for a lot."

Read more of our Warner Bros. coverage from San Diego Comic-Con: