How Brie Larson Mentored the New Ms. Marvel Actress

As Marvel Studios prepares Ms. Marvel for its early June streaming debut, the team is also laying the groundwork for Kamala Khan’s next adventure in the MCU. Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel is set to follow up her Disney+ series with an appearance alongside Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers and Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau in The Marvels.

The Captain Marvel follow-up will hit theater screens next July as Danvers and Rambeau take Kamala Kahn under their wing to take down a yet-to-be-known threat played by Zawe Ashton. Now, while these MCU vets (in Larson and Parris) are embracing Vellani’s young hero on the screen, they have seemingly been doing the same when the cameras aren’t rolling as well.

The Marvels will mark Vellani’s first-ever big-screen acting credit, so the Hollywood mainstay Larson has taken it upon herself to mentor the young actress. And it has been revealed just how this newly formed bond between the two.

A Marvel Mentorship For Ms. Marvel

In the latest issue of VFX, The Marvels star Iman Vellani broke down her relationship with co-star and Hollywood veteran Brie Larson.

Vellani said that “two days after” she was cast, Larson was asking “to meet [her].” She said that the Carol Danvers actress has “[held her] hand throughout everything:”

“I got cast on June 24. Two days after, I get a text from [casting director] Sarah Finn saying, ‘Brie wants to meet you.’ I was like, ‘What?’ The next day, we did a little Zoom call. It was very, very nice to have her hold my hand throughout everything. I very much made sure I was using her as much as I could, because she made herself so available for me. There’s a sense of loneliness that comes with just being the only superhero on set. She definitely dealt with that on Captain Marvel. For me, I was the only person in a superhero costume, which is a little scary. Everyone is gonna look at you when you’re wearing the shiny piece of Spandex. It’s a little intimidating and you feel insecure. You’re in this funky costume doing these weird hand things. Brie was telling me that she’s gone through the same thing. I was like, ’Great. Not alone!’ She said, This is normal, and you’re going to have a lot of body pain!'”

The young actress also went over what it was like auditioning for the MCU. She “got the casting call through a WhatsApp” message from her aunt who knew she “read all the comics” and would be perfect for the role. She sent in her tape, waited a couple of days, then got a call saying “Get a lawyer. We need you to come to LA:”

“I got the casting call through a WhatsApp forward, which is like the Brownest way this could have happened. My aunt was like, ‘You’ve read all the comics, just go for it.’ I sent my headshot and a very academic résumé. They sent back three scenes. I was like, “I know exactly which comic books these are from!” I was freaking out and I didn’t want to do it because I was honestly scared. But I knew my 10-year-old self was gonna hate me, so I did it for her. I sent [a self-tape] in. I think a day or two after I got a call. They’re like, ‘Get a lawyer. We need you to come to LA.’

After being “obsessed with people who work at Marvel,” the Ms. Marvel star calls this LA audition process “the greatest time of [her] life,” noting that she went home “the happiest girl in the world” but had to wait “four months” before hearing anything further:

“It was the greatest time of my life. I am obsessed with people who work at Marvel, so just seeing so many people with Marvel Studios hats and jackets was like sensory overload in the best way possible. I went home the happiest girl in the world. They sent me one email to come back, but then the pandemic happened. Four months go by and I have to accept university offers. I was freaking out because I’m like, “I don’t think I want to do anything else now. What if I don’t get it? I can’t just go back to being a normal kid. I’ve gotten this little glimpse of what it could be like!”

The Canadian actress finished off by showing off her Marvel fandom, saying the Ms. Marvel comic book run “means the world to [her]:”

“The G Willow Wilson run was a huge inspiration for our show. Honestly, I carried that comic around everywhere with me. I have it memorised at this point! Not even just rereading, but holding it with that classic cover. I never let go of that comic, because it means the world to me. I asked Kevin [Feige] to sign it when he came to set. He did not. He was like, ‘That’s so weird!'”

Brie Larson Ushering in the Next Generation

Fans have gotten passing mentions of this newly developed friendship between Iman Vellani and Brie Larson, but here Vellani outright confirms that it is a thing. Larson has taken Vellani under her wing, which is excellent news.

Going through a Marvel project for the first time can be a daunting process, and doing that as someone’s first acting credit ever feels like it would amp up the pressure ten-fold. But Larson has not only been through this with Marvel but elsewhere in Hollywood and could serve as a formidable sensei for a young actress like Vellani.

What will be fun to note as promotion for The Marvels kicks off next spring, will be seeing these two together in the wild. Surely, audiences will get plenty of moments between the pair playing off of each other, akin to the cast of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Seeing this mentor and mentee relationship evolve in the MCU and out of it, will hopefully be something fans can look forward to for years to come.

The Marvels hits theaters on July 28, 2023.

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