I used to dress up as Ms. Marvel for Halloween. Now I play her on TV.

“Marvel was all I ever talked about,” says Iman Vellani, comedian ebook fan from Ontario turned on-screen superhero

In September 2020, Iman Vellani was an 18-year-old comedian ebook fan dwelling together with her household in Markham, Ontario. She beloved motion pictures and took part in highschool theatre, however on the entire, she didn’t appear to be headed for Hollywood. Then a casting name surfaced on WhatsApp for Marvel’s teenage superhero Kamala Khan, and Vellani’s enthusiastic audition received her the half. 

She performs the lead position in Ms. Marvel, a Marvel Cinematic Universe miniseries airing on Disney+ and premiering June 8, created and co-written by British-Pakistani comic and screenwriter Bisha Okay. Ali. The character, based mostly on the Marvel Comics, is the primary Muslim and Pakistani superhero within the MCU.

I spoke with Vellani about how her life has modified since she obtained the half and what it’s been prefer to share a journey of rediscovering her roots with the character.   

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Inform me how the half took place for you. 

I used to be an enormous Marvel fan in highschool. My college was proper throughout from a comic book ebook store. I’d usually go there to learn the Invincible Iron Man comics. I got here throughout an Iron Man comedian that had Kamala Khan on the duvet. I used to be like, “Oh my God, who is that this brown particular person?” I simply fell in love together with her. I dressed up as her on Halloween. Then someone forwarded my aunt the casting name for Ms. Marvel on WhatsApp. She despatched it to me and I went for it. On my final day of highschool, I came upon I obtained the half. 

How did your loved ones react to you getting the position?  

My dad and mom have been supportive from the start. They have been so completely satisfied after I obtained the half. Proper earlier than my audition, my mother obtained me a Ms. Marvel doll. I’ve the doll sitting subsequent to my motion determine from the present. It’s a full circle second. 

Whether or not I used to be going to do it wasn’t even a query. Marvel was all I ever talked about in my each day life. My dad and mom would by no means have thought of taking that away from me. Simply seeing how passionately I talked about my work made them completely satisfied. They ended up assembly everybody I labored with, which gave them peace of thoughts. 

In what methods has your life modified since then? 

In highschool, my entire life was motion pictures and comedian books. I spent all my allowance on comedian books. I watched pirated motion pictures, which I shouldn’t say.

Now I’ve a job and I’m earning money. That’s cool. I’m paying my very own cellphone invoice, which was a giant step. I’ve been working with so many adults that I’ve needed to develop up rapidly within the final couple of years.

Some issues are nonetheless the identical. I’m in contact with my three finest mates from my highschool drama program—they got here to a screening of the present in Toronto. I journey so much, however I keep in Markham just a few months a yr. I’m dwelling with my dad and mom in the mean time. I like being babied. It’s good to have them handle me. Plus, my mother cooks a number of good Pakistani meals. 

Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel (Photograph courtesy Marvel Studios)

What was it about Kamala Khan that you just linked to? 

I felt like this comedian ebook was written about me. The administrators inspired me to place a number of my very own persona and quirks into Kamala, and I believe it paid off. She comes throughout as actual, charming and relatable. I imply, I don’t need to take all of the credit score, however I’ll take a few of it. 

The comics didn’t give attention to Kamala’s identification as a Muslim Pakistani lady. These issues have been simply part of her life. Ms. Marvel is basically about permitting followers to stay in fantasyland. It’s cool to think about a fan getting superpowers. I used to be dwelling vicariously by way of this character. 

Rising up with immigrant dad and mom, typically you are feeling disconnected out of your tradition and roots. Kamala feels that approach within the present and I can relate to that. Rising up, I didn’t suppose it was cool to be Pakistani or Muslim as a result of I by no means noticed these components of me represented wherever. 

I went on a journey just like the one Kamala does on the present. She learns about her ancestry and utilizing the teachings of Islam as her ethical code and guiding voice. We type of reconnected with our roots collectively. It’s actually cool that I obtained to share that together with her.

How a lot did you concentrate on illustration earlier than Ms. Marvel? What does it imply to see your self—in additional methods than one—on the massive display screen?  

Earlier than the comics, I didn’t understand that illustration was one thing I used to be lacking. It’s like somebody lastly held up a mirror in entrance of me, and I’m like, “Oh, that’s what I appear like.” 

It’s simply so essential to really feel seen. Movie and TV actually do form how we see individuals on the earth. I hope this present can do for different individuals what the comics did for me, and that we are able to get the ball rolling on extra illustration of Muslims in mainstream media. I believe the present goes to shift views of how we see Muslims and Pakistani individuals. 

What was it like to start out performing with such a giant position? Do you suppose you’ll keep within the business?  

Rising up, I didn’t suppose I’d grow to be an actor. Highschool theatre doesn’t even start to match to Marvel. I’m studying as I’m going. I’m like a sponge, absorbing all this information. That is primarily the best crash course on movie I may have ever gotten.  

Appearing is understanding fairly effectively up to now. Ever since this position got here to me out of the blue, I’ve determined I’m now not going to attempt to predict my future.