In episodes two and three, Monica posed as Wanda’s neighbor, “Geraldine”, until Wanda realized that she was an imposter. Despite the mystery within the universe surrounding Geraldine’s true identity, Parris is happy that Marvel revealed that she was playing Rambeau at Comic-Con 2019, instead of waiting until confirmation for the fourth episode.
“Kevin Feige went up to the Comic-Con stage and said, ‘Monica!’ So, I don’t know if they ever thought of anything different, ”explains Parris. “That was one of the most incredible and fun things to have experienced, especially now that we are all in a pandemic and quarantine.”
In a recent conversation with THR, Plays Parris WandaVisionAkira Akbar’s “epic and incredibly sad ending”, which she learned from Akira Akbar’s vision of 11-year-old Rambeau in Captain Marvel and the chaos of filming the tragic hospital scene from the fourth episode.
So how long did your original audition process last and were you able to keep it a secret?
I managed to keep everything a secret because I forgot. (Laughs.) A few weeks have passed and, as an artist, you do these auditions and then you have to let it go. I have to forget this. The hearing itself was not very long. I put myself on a tape and sent a tape. And then I took notes and did it again because I didn’t understand what the sitcom looks like. I was like, “I don’t quite understand. Did you say this was for Marvel? I’m not sure. “So they thought,” Have fun with this. ” So I did it again, sent it and forgot it. And a few weeks later, they were like, “You got the part,” and I was like, “Wow! What is the character? ”I didn’t know the character yet, but I found out it was Monica Rambeau, played by Akira Akbar in Captain Marvel. We saw her as a girl, and now I would be the adult version. So that was fun.
Speaking of Akira, did you maintain any particular details or mannerism of your performance in Captain Marvel?
I wouldn’t say that there was any specific mannerism, just trying to capture her essence of who she was. Who you are as a child is not necessarily who you will be when you grow up, but I believe that there are certain aspects of the personality that can disappear. She was such a curious, ambitious, fun and very intelligent girl. So, I tried to use your essence to move forward.
To your knowledge, has there ever been a conversation about just announcing that you were playing a character named Geraldine, which would have saved Monica Rambeau’s revelation for episode four?
(Laughs.) I never heard that. Kevin Feige took the stage at Comic-Con and said, “Monica!” So I don’t know if they thought anything different.
The third episode created a big mystery around Geraldine’s identity, and given how secret Marvel usually is, I was a little surprised that they didn’t try to pull one out fast.
I hear! Don’t take my 2019 Comic-Con experience away from me. (Laughs.) That was one of the most amazing and fun things to have experienced, especially now that we are all in a pandemic and quarantine. So, let me have this. (Laughs.) You’re like, “They should have saved!” Nooo! Nooo! (Laughs.)
You are definitely right. Episode four is still a surprise for viewers who don’t follow every Marvel cast move. Anyway, since Monica came back for the blip, she’s been through a hurricane. In the space of three weeks, she learned of Maria’s death, was sucked – and then expelled – from Wanda’s spell. Thus, she had very little time to mourn Maria or reconcile her own 5-year disappearance. Do you think she will have to deal with these traumas sooner or later?
I think she is addressing them in the best way she knows how, which is through work. She is a person who loves her job. Although cases of missing people are not usually in your wheelhouse, it has turned out to be much more than that; it’s more like a case of a missing city. And when Monica sees Wanda and realizes that she is in mourning, she recognizes her parallel experiences and that both are mourning. So I think Monica is handling it the best she can. I am not saying that it is the most effective and therapeutic way, but I feel that she is trying to reconcile with her own pain by helping Wanda with hers.
In episode four, we saw the way Wanda kicked Monica out of the hex. Were you able to do any wire work for that scene?
Yes, I did. It was my first time. It was very strange and challenging because you have Lizzie [Elizabeth Olsen] on the floor, giving an incredible performance, and I’m like … (Parris screams softly in pain.) It was terrible. (Laughs.) I was not used to the tightness and so many straps on top of me, while also trying to be in the moment, emotionally. It was challenging, but fun. Everyone laughed, I laughed and we just tried to get over it. Matt Shakman had to give me extra shots because ooh.
Monica seems to have a problem with Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), and most people assume that it is because Carol was not around when Maria fell ill. It will be the rest of WandaVision provide some clarity on this topic, or is this discussion being saved for later?
What I can say is that we have a few more episodes ahead, and we also know that Monica will be in Captain Marvel II. So there is still a lot of space for us to explore that relationship. I don’t want to ruin this for anyone, so I’ll leave it at that.
Captain Marvel II it is also a Candyman reunion between you and the filmmaker Nia DaCosta. When you found out that you would play Monica again in Captain Marvel II, Was Nia already hired as a director?
No comments. I don’t know if I’m revealing anything by saying something. So, I’m not going to say anything about it, but I’m very excited to be joining Nia and so that we can get back together. And to join Brie and Iman [Vellani]. It will be a wonderful experience, especially with Nia being the first black woman to direct a Marvel Studios film. It will be exciting times.
Was there a commemorative call between you two at any time?
I call Nia all the time, so yes, for sure. I’m like, “Hey, girl! I’m very excited. OK, bye. “That’s the call. (Laughs.)
One of Marvel’s best VFX photos occurs when Monica returns from the blip. How did they handle that shot that day?
I do not remember. I may have points, but I don’t remember. I’m very sorry.
Did the chaotic hospital scene require a lot of rehearsals, since there were very specific beats in history throughout it?
Yes, the fact that you have the people who are physically present, the chaos of that, and then the imaginary people that we had to see. They were there too, and I think they had to intervene or something. It was very technical. The camera was a Steadicam, so the camera operator was actually holding and following you. Then there was a dance to ensure that I hit the marks because the visual effects needed this space so that they could add an entire human being appearing later. So it was definitely a complicated dance, and also, the emotional state I had to be in was another layer of it. So that was a very particular setting and scene.
Since you can’t say anything specific about the remaining three episodes, can you dispense with some adjectives that best describe your reaction to reading them?
Epic and incredibly sad. I mean, the whole show is incredibly sad for me, but I’m putting those words together.
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WandaVision is currently broadcasting on Disney +.