Actor Michael Shannon plays Man of Steel villain General Zod and in a recent interview, he talked about how he brought his character to life and made him "authentic."

The preservation of his planet is Zod's motivation and "there's a reason for everything that he's doing," he told HuffPost Entertainment, in a report published on Tuesday. 

"It has a lot more to do with his love for Krypton than his hate for anything else," and it's that love of planet, suggested the actor, that makes such a character read as authentic.

"To me, Zod isn't giving a performance," Shannon continued, "[he's] trying to save Krypton. Everything that he does every step of the way in the movie is for that one purpose."

For his own performance, the actor said he hoped to add a different dimension to the Zod character: "I think Zod is typically thought of as a very rage-filled and hateful person. The way we approach it, though, is that he just seems like a desperate person in a desperate situation."

Getting into the character did take a bit getting used to, especially considered the heavy use of CGI in the film. Shannon said it took some adjustment reconciling the real Illinois setting used in the film, with its more technological elements.

"That dichotomy between being on a real farm but having so many things that were not real was kind of discombobulating," Shannon claimed, suggesting he may have found the green screens more natural. "Then we went to Vancouver and started shooting on green screen and everything was imaginary and it actually some how [sic] became easier. There wasn't that schism any more."

The actor did note that the blending of reality and design all comes down to director Zack Snyder, and his emphasis on the visual aspects of a movie. He also commended Snyder's ability to work with his actors, even crediting him for his layered portrayal of General Zod.

"To Zack, the relationships were really important," he said. "It's something that can get glossed over by the spectacle of the film, but I think the most powerful thing about this story is the relationships between these characters. They're very complex and the stakes are so high.

"I think Zack knew he could make it as big of a spectacle as anybody -- and that would satisfy some people -- but to have a movie that really stands the test of time, you needed that element to it," Shannon added.

"It can't all be wall-to-wall explosions. There's got to be somebody in there to care about."

Man of Steel opens in theaters on June 14.

Check out photos from the film's premiere here.

Tags: Man of Steel