Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is still happy Simon Williams happened.
More than one month after Wonder Man was canceled, the actor has remained grateful for the MCU series that earned him an Emmys 2026 nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.
“Nothing bitter about this experience. I’m blessed,” Yahya shared, alongside By Any Means costar Mark Wahlberg, in their exclusive chat with SYFY Wire. “I got to play the role. I feel like I had the best seat in the house.”
In a surprising move, Disney axed the Hollywood-focused series after one season in July following praise from critics for its meta-commentary and dramedy tone that diverged from other Marvel shows on Disney+.
But there’s only good vibes ahead of the award show. “I feel for the fans who were expecting to see the show come back. It’s still a celebration of the work that we did over here,” he added. “I’m looking forward to representing myself and representing the show and the fans come Sept. 14.”
Meanwhile, Yahya helped bring a true story to the big screen with By Any Means opposite Mark, who plays Greg Scarpa in the film inspired by the FBI’s infamous collaboration with the real-life mobster.
Greg allegedly assisted the bureau on more than one occasion, with the movie focusing on the 1966 murder of civil rights activist Vernon Dahmer in Mississippi.
“The fact that Greg was down there involved in these cases is pretty outrageous,” Mark admitted, before estimating, “You need people who are willing to be worse to get the job done.”
Greg’s off-the-books tactics on screen include baseball bat beatdowns and a bloody gun shop interrogation, all of which seemed more than plausible to director Elegance Bratton.
“[Greg] was doing really illegal things that most people would have been in jail for,” the filmmaker explained to SYFY Wire. “But because he was connected to the FBI, he was allowed to do those things and oftentimes warned before they had to come in and shut it down.”
Elegance added, “I just imagined what could he possibly have gotten away with in Mississippi.”
Part of Mark’s prep included spending time with Greg’s children.
“I wasn’t really expecting to hear about what a doting dad Greg Sr. was,” he revealed. “It really humanized him in a lot of ways.”
By Any Means is in theaters now.
