When The Blacklist premiered in the USA in September 2013, the crime series caused a real hype. The focus of the series is
Raymond “Red” Reddingtona former government agent who, in collaboration with the FBI, keeps a list of criminals – the Blacklist. Over ten seasons 218 episodes produced, which achieved high ratings, especially at the beginning. James Spader in particular, who shines in the role of “Red”, quickly found a large fan base. He was even nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Series for his performance.
After the end of the 10th season of The Blacklist, things became quiet about James Spader from 2023 onwards. The actor, who has previously appeared in major productions such as Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, has been less present in the media in recent years. Fans were already worried that they would never see him again or would hear as a voice actor.
There was a small sign of life in late summer of this year: until it was announced in late summer of this year that he was returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Ultron for the Vision series. He previously voiced Ultron in Marvel’s The Avengers 2: Age of Ultron in 2015.
James Spader is “miserable” in finding a role
But his rare presence compared to many other actors is no coincidence. There are good reasons why James Spader is seen less often and why he didn’t immediately jump into his next leading role after The Blacklist ended. He would certainly have plenty of offers.
In an interview with the Guardian in 2016, James Spader said that he When looking for a role, he is completely different than many of his fellow actors: There are some actors who are very good at developing things […] they have things in the pipeline.” He himself is in it “miserable” and “detest“this process. After all, he is one “terrible planner”.
In addition, apart from working on set, he prefers to have nothing to do with the actual profession of an actor and the spotlight. Continuous interviews, appearances on talk shows, or running a social media account are not James Spader’s style.
The fee also has to be right: Although James Spader should actually be swimming in money thanks to his big film and series successes, the topic of money still plays a role when it comes to whether or not he accepts an offer. At least he expressed a pretty clear preference regarding his engagements in an interview with the online magazine Vulture in 2013: “A TV show is a great way to make a living. That’s not the case with films anymore.”
The topic of money is probably one of the few reasons why James Spader might at some point be more present again than he is currently. Because in the Guardian interview already quoted he said:
I am not very economically responsible. I have a history of working on films for years and when I started the next film I started from scratch again.
It all fits together quite well: James Spader has once again chosen a series for his next role, as well as a dubbing role he is already familiar with, in which he does not even have to appear – and, last but not least, the major corporation Disney as a safe employer.
More about The Blacklist:
In vision we won’t see him until 2026
Even if at least the new role as Ultron in Vision is known, fans still have to be patient to hear from their favorite again. Because it will be a while before Vision 2026 premieres on Disney+ three years between the end of The Blacklist and the next release lay.
It is currently unclear how exactly his role as Ultron will be integrated into the Marvel series. The only thing that is certain is that James Spader gave him his voice lends. Given the few engagements he accepts, many fans are certainly happy to be able to see him in any way.