WandaVision’s surreal popularity pretty much changed what it means to be a Marvel project, and proved that it can still surprise fans even 13 years later. Not only did it set the precedent for the level of quality fans now expect from the franchise’s streaming shows going forward, but it also created a heck of a breakout role for Teyonah Parris, who played the newly superpowered Monica Rambeau in the series. However, this wasn’t her first foray into the Marvel universe. It was only her most successful.
When Parris first auditioned forWandaVision, she had no idea which project she was submitting for, much less which character. So it came as a total surprise when it turned out to be none other than the grown-up version of that spunky kid fromBrie Larson’sCaptain Marvel. Not only did she not expect to land such an important role, but she was baffled by the audition process as well, which asked her to go full ham and get as over the top as she wanted. Parris detailed the audition process in a recent interview with Collider.
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“[My agent] calls back,” Parris said, speaking about the day she found out she got the part, “she’s like, ‘Uh, the little girl fromCaptain…’ She didn’t even say it before I said, ‘Don’t tell me it’s Monica Rambeau.’ And she was like, ‘Yeah, Monica, the little girl fromCaptain Marvel.’ I flew off the handle, so excited!” The funny part was that Parris didn’t actually know the extent ofMonica’s presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universegoing forward, so her excitement came purely from enthusiasm about the character rather than excitement for a nice chunky role (though the latter came into play later).
“I’ve put many Marvel [auditions] on tape over the last decade,” Parris explained, which was why she seemed to think she had a good handle on the type of vibe the character needed during her original audition. It’s honestly kind of ironic to hear that, considering howmassively differentWandaVisionis from any previous entryin the franchise. But her instincts clearly paid off, and now she helped bring to life one of the defining cultural television events of the past year.
WandaVision’s success stems from both its creative approach to storytelling as well as just the sheer level of quality it brings forward. It’s one thing to create an homage to the classic TV sitcoms of yesteryear, but it’s another entirely to recreate their styles so flawlessly. Plus, it will be difficult to replicate the feeling brought on by those first few episodes, where audiences had no idea what was going on and all shared that delightful confusion together. Nobody expected it, and even fewer thought Marvel could pull it off as well as they did.
So it will be interesting to see how the franchise breaks new ground from here. Even if they aren’t as conceptually adventurous asWandaVision, future projects likethe Larson-ledThe Marvels(which will feature Parris' next big appearance as Monica) definitely inspire high expectations from the fans, and thanks to Parris' unique experience with the franchise, it’s sure to be something special.
