In case you missed the memo, Pakistani-Canadian actress Iman Vellani has been cast as Kamala Khan, the main lead in the upcoming Ms. Marvel superhero movie by Disney+.
In an exclusive interview with Iman Vellani, she shares her initial reaction to getting the exciting superhero role, handling fame, thoughts on being Marvel’s first Muslim superhero at the age of 19, and special BTS moments on set.
Scroll ahead to get to know Iman Vellani…
William Mullally: How are you processing everything so far?
Iman Vellani: It’s the most surreal thing ever. I really got into comic books when I just got into high school and Marvel was the only thing I ever talked about… I was that kid who was obsessed.
Iman Vellani: I’ve gotten to meet so many incredible people who are part of this project and people who are from a South Asian Muslim background because I didn’t really see many people from a creative side who looked like me doing things that I wanted to do when I was a kid.
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W As a huge fan of this character, what did becoming her involve? Was it difficult to make it your own?
I: It was really difficult because I felt like I had to put on a face. I’m acting, so I have to be in character, and this is my first character and my first role ever.
I: All of our creatives were using me as a great resource and just getting advice from me because the show is written by 30-year-olds and they’re writing for 16-year-old characters.
I: ‘We want to hear about you, and about your crushes in high school, your favourite teacher’s favourite subjects. What was your high school experience?..’ They brought so much of my real experiences into the show.
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W: Have you gotten any advice from other Marvel stars on how to handle fame?
I: Brie Larson reached out to me two days after I got the part… She’s been my greatest resource and mentor throughout this whole process. Even though she was an Oscar-winner beforehand, Marvel has completely changed her life.
I: I just have so much love for this character. I want people to see what I saw when I picked up those comics… “I’m excited for people to see my interpretation. I want people to understand how likeable she is. And it’s just such a fun character. And I think the MCU really need her.
W: What was the audition process like?
I: I literally got cast on my last day of high school, which was the perfect graduation present, considering I didn’t get one during COVID. My aunt actually got sent the casting call through a WhatsApp forward… It looked super sketchy, but I did it anyway.
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W: How did you react when you found out you got the role?
I: I was basically in shock for a year and a half. I’m just now processing it. My friends are like, ‘did you win the lottery? Or what happened?’ I was like, ‘basically?’ I told them, and we were just like screaming in the car. Yeah. It’s a very weird moment. I didn’t believe it. I didn’t know how to react.
W: With this as your first role, is your dream to continue to act, or do you have other aspirations?
I: In between takes, I’m just watching people, observing people, and the acting bit is working out pretty well so far. I’m not complaining. Maybe one day [I’ll direct], I don’t know, as long as it’s a project I’m passionate about.
W: Lately, Marvel has been stretching the MCU further in terms of tone and genre. How would you define Ms. Marvel? Do you think it had any obvious influences?
I: I think we really wanted to lean into that coming-of-age, corny vibe because being a kid as being a teenager is so embarrassing sometimes and cringy. We wanted to really embrace all of that. I think our show is quite self-aware about how corny it is.
I: A lot of our inspirations come from Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade, Ladybird, and Scott Pilgrim. When you’re a teen, you go through all your emotions, your crushes, and your friendships, and everything is so heightened. The small inconveniences feel like the end of the world. I think we really were trying to lean into that whole experience. High school is no one’s peak, but you feel like you’re on top of the world.
I: I think what I was told at the beginning is that, when you’re a kid, you want for people to take you seriously, for people to treat you like an adult, for adults to talk to you like you’re an adult. You want to grow up so fast, but you don’t even know anything about yourself. It’s a great story about self-discovery and identity, all while having superpowers.
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W: Since the journey of this show is about a girl discovering herself and embracing her identity, what was your own journey in that regard?
I: Being Pakistani was a part of my life I was very dismissive about, and I felt disconnected from my culture prior to this show. I was born in Pakistan, but I moved to Canada when I was a year old. I didn’t feel like I had a connection to it. I didn’t really have any Muslim Pakistani friends.
I: Being on the show and seeing so many Pakistani and Indian actors that I grew up watching with my family, and Sana Amanat who co-created the character was just like my big sister throughout this whole process. It was so encouraging for me to see that. I felt so far removed from the film industry and wanted to be a part of it so badly growing up. I’m so grateful I got to work with so many women and people of colour behind the camera. I just hope that that opens a lot of doors for this industry. And I think it’s so cool that the parallels between Kamala and me, that we both went on the same journey of self-discovery, learning about our family and our heritage as the show progressed. And now I could not be prouder to be Pakistani. It’s cheesy, but it’s true.
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W: How does it feel to be Marvel’s first Muslim superhero?
I: It’s an honour and a privilege that Marvel trusts me to bring her to life, but I don’t really go to work thinking every day that ‘oh, I’m like, the first Muslim superhero’ I’m never going to get anything done that way.
I: The whole reason I got into the comics was that I saw in her a girl like me. She was a Pakistani-Muslim superhero fanatic. I was a Pakistani-Muslim superhero fanatic. And it was just crazy because I didn’t think a story like that was possible because I never really saw it before. This comic book was something that was holding a mirror in front of me and I just completely fell in love with her.
I: But yes, I do understand how important representation was because I felt that isolation that comes with not feeling understood. As close as I get to my school friends, they’re never really going to know my experiences and I’m never going to really know theirs, but film and television shape how we see people in this world, so accurate representation is so long overdue. I couldn’t be happier that Marvel is taking steps and being more inclusive and creating space for a character like Kamala to exist.
Interview by William Mullally, Digital Editor at Esquire Middle East.