“The Marvels” star Iman Vellani thinks the film’s strength is in its diversity.
“We’re really lucky because we have such a plethora of female characters with real flaws and real arcs,” Vellani said of the MCU to Entertainment Weekly, which has expanded its roster of female heroes with titles like “Black Widow” an “She-Hulk”. “Time and time again, it’s proven that not only do these stories have such a robust fan base, but they sell.”
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Power Trio.
From high-flying stunts to finicky feline costars, @brielarson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani tease #TheMarvels, their upcoming sci-fi, MCU epic. https://t.co/xfeTWYNp2h Story by @devancoggan pic.twitter.com/I2psINnYWH — Entertainment Weekly (@EW) July 18, 2023
The young Ms. Marvel was hoping that the diverse roster would help people relate to the characters, despite their otherworldly powers.
“Marvel has always championed that idea of finding this idealized version of yourself through their characters — a version of yourself that can fly in space or stop a train with one hand,” she explained. “I think that aspiration to be greater than who you are is such a universal feeling, regardless of gender identity. I hope people recognize that and find ways to identify with all of our characters.”
Zawe Ashton, who plays the villainous Kree Dar-Benn, said she felt strong solidarity with the rest of the female cast carrying the film.
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“It’s this all-female sci-fi extravaganza, with a woman on the other side of the camera,” Ashton explained. “I felt very moved, actually, being involved in it. It’s not an environment you’re often in — a huge-budget movie with all these badass women and Samuel L. Jackson. That just doesn’t happen.
Her co-star, Brie Larson, teased the humour in the upcoming female ensemble movie.
“It doesn’t have to be intense and heavy,” Larson said. “There’s a lot of humour. I think this movie’s very funny, and we laughed a lot while making it.” In fact, the cast would play Uno together over pizza in her trailer.
“The Marvels” flies into theatres on Nov. 10.