More of a Comment, Really…: The Umbrella Academy’s Justin Min on Playing a Superpowered Ghost

We talk to the actor behind the Netflix show’s most mysterious superhero, and what lies in wait for a potential season 2.

Welcome back to More of a Comment, Really…, a weekly interview show hosted by Clint Worthington! Every episode will feature interviews with actors, filmmakers, producers, and more, giving you the skinny on the latest films and TV.

Being a superhero is never easy, but it’s doubly difficult when you’re dead. Such is the fate of Ben Hargreeves (Justin H. Min), co-star of Netflix’s quirky, dark superhero drama The Umbrella Academy, which released its first season a couple of weeks ago. (You can read Gena Radcliffe’s review of the season here.) Nicknamed “The Horror,” Ben, like the rest of his superpowered siblings, were snatched from immaculate birth and trained at the titular Umbrella Academy by their cold, unfeeling father figure Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore) to become a team of superheroes.

However, the pressures of their powers and the emotional distance from their father led to no small number of dysfunction – including Ben’s untimely (and, for the audience at least, unexplained) death by the time the series begins. But thanks to his brother (and medium) Klaus (Robert Sheehan), we get to see Min’s Ben tag along with the ragtag group of misfit heroes, a warm counterpoint to Klaus’ drugged-out quirks and a stark reminder of the many ways this family has let each other down.

It’s a role that comes with its fair share of challenges, and Min was kind enough to sit down for a quick interview to talk about playing a dead guy who can only interact with one other person on set, the mysteries behind his character’s untimely end, and what he’d like to see out of Ben if Umbrella Academy goes to a second season.

More of a Comment, Really… is a proud member of the Chicago Podcast Coop. Thanks to Lagunitas for sponsoring this episode!)

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