Los Angeles, Aug 16 (IANS): Actor Xolo Mariduena, who will now be getting his time on the big screen with the DC superhero film 'Blue Beetle', has said that his mother helped him prepare for the role by raising him on comic books. The actor also said that now his core philosophy is to "stay grounded with family and friends."

Speaking to People magazine, the 22-year old said that his mother Carmelita was actually the one who helped him prepare for leading a superhero movie in more ways than she knew. "I personally was not a huge comic book reader," he said.

"But my mother, who helped raise me and was reading me bedtime stories at night, definitely was reading comic books instead of, you know, Goodnight Moon."

He added: "She was the type of kid who worked to buy records and comic books. So for that reason, of course, I knew who Blue Beetle was and had watched 'Young Justice' and was familiar with the character."

He further went on to say that in Hollywood you never actually ever expect to suddenly find yourself playing a superhero.

He added: "And that is one of the biggest pieces to wrap my head around, is how monstrous this opportunity is. I truly feel like it has taken 22 years of self-actualisation to be ready for this moment."

When asked what his mother helps him with now, Mariduena jokingly said: "She plays the role of telling me to pick up my dog's crap in the morning. Basically reminding me about keeping my toes on the ground."

He added: "In all seriousness, my family is the biggest source of support that I have had growing up, because they were so toxically positive with any venture that I ever wanted to do take up, whether it was stop-motion animation or writing or chemistry, they always instilled such confidence in me and believed in me. Even though I was a bad soccer player, they still went to my game."

"I wasn't always the best, but they really helped create this sense of confidence at a young age — whether it was illusory or real — that I could do anything that I put my mind to," he continued. "They were so supportive and they made so many sacrifices."

'Blue Beetle' will release on August 18, 2023 and will tell the story of how Jamie Raynes comes into contact with an ancient artifact called the Scarab which gives him access to a highly powerful and advanced exoskeleton with many powers, all the while he is unprepared to take on his role as a superhero. Blue Beetle is one of DC's oldest as well as least known superheroes, and can be compared to DC's 'Guardians Of The Galaxy'.