Today we talk to Joe Manganiello about his character Slade Wilson/Deathstroke in Arrow and the upcoming Batman film!

You play Deathstroke, or Slade Wilson, in Arrow. Can you tell us a little bit about the character?

He is one of the deadliest assassins in the world. He’s a former member of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, and he’s got a chip on his shoulder because of what happened between him and Oliver Queen. And they used to be friends. What I’m looking forward to playing is how he slowly loses his mind…

He’s not just one of the most dangerous assassins in the world, he’s one of the most deadly people in fiction. He can break someone’s neck with one hand while firing guns with his other hands. He is an unstoppable force. He kills people for a living, but he has a code, he has rules that he lives by that make him honorable in his own way. It makes him sympathetic even though he does horrible things for horrible people.

Joe Manganiello is one of Hollywood’s most sought after actors. He’s been in hit movies like Magic Mike and What to Expect When You’re Expecting, and he’s about to be seen in the highly anticipated sequel Pee-wee’s Big Holiday on Netflix. But comic book fans know him best as Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke from The CW show Arrow.

Manganiello sat down with Variety magazine to talk about his action scene training for the role, how he prepared for the fight choreography, and how working on a show like Arrow is different than working on a movie set.

“The action scenes are so much more intricate than they are in film,” Manganiello said. “There’s a lot more coverage, a lot more time spent because you have to get fights from all angles and close-ups and mid-shots and wide shots and over the shoulder shots.”

Manganiello also spoke about the importance of perfecting his stunt training for the role of Deathstroke.

“I’m glad I went through that process before having to do this because it was very complicated,” Manganiello said.

Joe Manganiello: I just have a lot of respect for the medium, and I’ve always wanted to play a superhero. The fact that this guy is an antihero, and he’s actually on the side of evil in a lot of ways, was appealing.

The character has a great dark sense of humor. He’s very brutal. He uses guns and swords and everything else, but he’s also been known to use boomerangs and throwing stars and other exotic weapons. So there was a lot to work with, both physically and emotionally.

I love doing stunt work, so I was really excited about it. And at the end of the day, if you can look cool in green spandex, then you know that you’re looking cool!

If anyone is going to make a psychopathic assassin look sexy, it’s Joe Manganiello. The actor, who stars as werewolf Alcide Herveaux on HBO’s True Blood (Sundays at 9 p.m. ET), is now taking on the DC Comics villain Deathstroke, aka Slade Wilson, on the CW’s Arrow. “When I read the script and saw that it was Deathstroke, I got really excited because I knew what a badass character he was,” says Manganiello. “And then when I found out I had to be shirtless for most of my screen time and could spend six hours in the gym every day for three months, it was like Christmas came early.”

Slade was introduced in the eighth episode of Arrow’s first season as a mercenary working with Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) in Lian Yu, the island where Oliver spent five years stranded after his yacht sank. He returns to Starling City in Wednesday’s ninth episode to recruit Oliver for another mission—and to discover the truth about who killed Shado (Celina Jade).

Manganiello spoke with EW about playing an antihero and his plans for Deathstroke’s future.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What are your thoughts

Joe Manganiello is in a really good mood.

The actor, who turns 40 next month, has just wrapped the indie film La Bare, which he directed, and is now making his way through the Austin airport to catch a flight back home to L.A. But there’s another reason he’s in such a great mood: Manganiello is going to be playing Deathstroke in the upcoming Batman movie. (For those who don’t know, Deathstroke is basically Batman’s deadliest adversary.) The film has yet to be officially announced, but it’s no secret that Ben Affleck will be directing and starring in the project for Warner Bros., so it was only a matter of time before word started leaking about who would be co-starring with him.

But for now, Manganiello says he’s trying to enjoy this moment of secrecy before the news goes public. He can’t say too much about Deathstroke and Affleck’s movie — “I’m not allowed to talk about anything” — but he did open up about his excitement over joining the DC Comics universe, working with Affleck and what it was like to direct his first film.

Actors on Actors: Joe Manganiello (“True Blood”) and Jared Leto (“Suicide Squad”) (Full Video)

Joe Manganiello: What was it like when you first put the Joker suit on?

Jared Leto: Well, I had some help. It takes about two hours to put on. We were all in this trailer, and there were people everywhere. I got dressed up in the suit and walked out of the trailer, and everyone just started screaming. I mean, the hair stood up on my arms. It was a really powerful moment for me. You know, I hadn’t been in front of a camera for a long time before this film. So I was really nervous, but then that moment happened. And it was very powerful.

Manganiello: What is your dream superhero or comic-book character that you would love to play?

Leto: The Joker! No question. He’s the best villain ever created, and he’s also an incredible character study, you know? He can be funny one moment and then terrifying in another. It’s incredible to watch him do his thing, whether it’s Jack

Each episode of Actors on Actors, presented by The Hollywood Reporter, will air from Jan. 2 to Feb. 16 on PBS SoCal KOCE.

Eighteen pairings of acclaimed actors and actresses will discuss the craft of acting and their roles in current films and television shows in this six-episode series that was taped during the summer and fall at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.

The fourth episode will air Feb. 9 and feature Robin Wright (House of Cards) with Jessica Lange (American Horror Story: Freak Show); Steve Carell (Foxcatcher) with David Oyelowo (Selma); Robert Downey Jr. (The Judge) with Jodie Foster (Hotel Noir); and Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) with Ethan Hawke (Boyhood).

The final episode airs Feb. 16, with interviews including Ian McKellen (Mr. Holmes) with Jack Black (The D Train), Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) with Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), Mark Ruffalo (Infinitely Polar Bear) with Patricia Arquette (Boyhood), and Reese Witherspoon (Wild) with Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Belle).