English actor Aaron Johnson, 19, has played some iconic roles in his career. From portraying Charlie Chaplin in the 2003 comedy “Shanghai Knights” to embodying John Lennon in 2009’s “Nowhere Boy,” Johnson says he’s looking for versatility when auditioning for roles.



That’s one of the main reasons he took on his most recent character in the comic book movie “Kick-Ass.” In the film, Johnson plays the title character, a superhero that is actually just a shy high school kid who one day decides he wants to fight crime. He becomes famous after a video of him is uploaded online.



During an interview with EXTRA, Johnson talked about his superhero character and the controversy surrounding the ultra-violence in the movie.



EXTRA: What was it about this superhero character that made you want this role?

Aaron Johnson: It was completely original. It wasn’t a typical superhero. I love the fact that he’s an ordinary kid. He’s into comic books. It’s something he believes in. He creates this alter ego because he wants to be this confident, heroic guy.



The film explores the idea that the Internet can make anyone famous these days. If your video goes viral, a million people can see it in a day. Talk a bit about how that plays into the film.

Yeah, YouTube is a populated website right now. People make home videos and put them on the website and it gets 1,000 viewers and then it goes to a million [views]. The film jokes about that a lot. We have Kick-Ass who gets into a fight with these three guys on the street and it gets filmed on a cell phone. And then he’s on the news because nowadays these things are getting ...