The recent Disney Plus premiere that impacted the critics and general public. And yes, we’re talking about Ms. Marvel, she fell in love with her audience, and that’s, aside from her wonderful story, effects and other things that make her unique… One of the things that Ms. Marvel’s standout from Disney Plus is incredible actress Iman Vellani, who plays Kamala Khan, the superhero who originated in Marvel comics in 2013 and quickly became a fan favorite.

In the new production, the central character of Kamala/Ms. Marvel comes to life from the hand of the talented Iman Vellania young woman who makes her acting debut on the show and perfectly embodies the character’s fresh, enthusiastic and daring spirit, crowning the creative team’s long search process to find the perfect girl for the role.

A needle in a haystack

To find the right actress to play Ms. Marvel, the show’s filmmakers embarked on an extensive casting process across the United States. The task was not going to be easy: on the one hand, the new story was very character-driven; on the other, the comic strips of Mrs. Wonder they were so popular and Kamala was so loved by fans that this legacy had to be honored.

So they watched hundreds of auditions and spent months in countless casting sessions, until one particular video caught their attention. It was about Iman Vellani, a young woman who was not dedicated to acting, but her passion for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) overflowed.

“Iman showed us her room on Zoom, and it was like an explosion of her love for Marvel. She even knows the smallest details of all the characters, just like Kamala Khan, and we thought it was amazing to be able to find a needle a haystack. She’s very honest, sweet, vulnerable, a bit nerdy, and very caring. It was all of those qualities combined that made her the only right person to play the character.”

Executive producer Sana Amanatwho in turn is one of the creators of the original comic.

parallel lives

The parallels between Vellani’s life and that of Kamala Khan are many. “Iman is a first-generation Canadian from a Pakistani family and grew up in Canada, reflecting Kamala Khan’s story in Jersey City. Iman has lived her entire life at home with her parents and siblings, so she brings a lot of authenticity to the character. She didn’t grow up as an actress, and you can see that purity in the way she talks, walks, and acts. It’s an extension of himself.”says the co-director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

Kamala Khan is a nerd passionate about video games she writes fanfiction and he’s a fan of the Avengers, especially Captain Marvel, who is his heroine. Kamala spends a lot of time with her best friends, Bruno and Nakia, and has a good relationship with her family, but as she begins to discover her new destiny and struggles to understand her new reality, relations are strained.

“What’s interesting about Kamala Khan is that she’s very different from all the other heroes. She’s unique, in that she’s just a normal Jersey City girl trying to figure it out. how the world works. She’s very vulnerable and curious, and questions a lot of things. He tries to figure them out as he goes along.” Amanat explains.

Having the opportunity to play Ms. Marvel on Disney Plus was very personal for the young actress. “The idea of ​​playing Ms. Marvel was very natural because of the parallels between my life and Kamala’s in the story. We are very similar and I really like the character, and that’s why I sent the tape I didn’t want to be an actress, but because I was Ms. Marvel and had loved this comic for years, I felt like I had no choice. I knew that my 10-year-old granddaughter years that was in me was going to hate me if I did not pass an audition”, admits Iman Vellani.

A dream come true for Iman Vellani

Iman Vellani Ms. Marvel says she found out about being on the show on the last day of high school. He recounts : “I was with my friends and I get a text from the casting director that he wanted to do a video call. I take the video call and it was Kevin Feige and all the producers and directors. But I didn’t even get them noticed, because I’m obsessed with Kevin Feige and Marvel. And then Kevin said to me, ‘It’s unanimous. We want you to be Ms. Marvel.’ And that’s when I was completely shocked.”

“Iman is a fan of everything Kevin Feige and Marvel do, but she never imagined that she would be part of the MCU, working with all these actors and being a Super Hero. So we have a sort of a meta-narrative, because we’re telling the story of Kamala Khan, but we’re also telling this very personal story of Iman Vellani.”

billall fallahanother of the directors of Ms. Marvel

Don’t miss Ms. Marvel, which is available now on the Disney Plus streaming platform. And for more movie and tech news, visit geekzilla.tech.