Christopher Heyerdahl, who played Clark’s uncle and Supergirl’s father Zor-El, has been cast as vampire Marcus in the upcoming movie, “New Moon”.

He says he signed on to appear in the film after seeing his niece become a devoted fan of the franchise.”Really, one of the main reasons to play that character and have anything to do with that series is my niece, who is absolutely obsessed with this series of books. To see how it has had such an effect on the teenage female community throughout the world is amazing.

“I have friends of friends who send me e-mails and call me from all over the world. Every one of these young women feel that this story is about them. It’s absolutely remarkable to be a part of something so widespread. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Heyerdahl’s character is a member of the Volturi, a venerable coven of vampires based in Volterra, Italy, whose members also include Michael Sheen and Dakota Fanning.

“He’s one of the oldest vampires on the planet, and who doesn’t want to play a 3,000-year-old vampire?” Heyerdahl said. “The cast that I get to work with, like Michael Sheen. … We had so much fun goofing off together. It was an absolute hoot. Director Chris Weitz’s version for this piece is like a Renaissance painting. The images were absolutely beautiful, and the character is such a tragic old fellow.”

Great article – read it in it’s entirety on SciFi Wire here.