Key Points

Julia Garner admits she was initially confused about playing a female version of the Silver Surfer in 'Fantastic Four: First Steps.' She embraced the role after director Matt Shakman explained the character’s intriguing ambiguity. Garner hints at the mystery surrounding Shalla-Bal’s allegiance to Galactus. The actress also expressed enthusiasm for a potential solo MCU film.

Key Points: Julia Garner Confused by Female Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four

  • Garner initially questioned gender-swapped Silver Surfer role
  • Director Matt Shakman explained Shalla-Bal’s mysterious character
  • Garner hints at moral ambiguity in her portrayal
  • Actress open to future solo MCU movie
3 min read

Julia Garner recalls how she was confused about her character in 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps', says I'll play anything

Julia Garner recalls initial confusion over playing a female Silver Surfer in Marvel's 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' but embraces the mystery.

"I was confused because I was like, 'Wait, isn’t the Silver Surfer a man?' – Julia Garner"

Washington, April 25

Actress Julia Garner recalled joining the cast of 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' and how she got confused about her character.

Garner "was confused" as she "was confused" over the fact that her antagonist role, the Silver Surfer, is now a woman, reported Deadline.

The Silver Surfer is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is a humanoid alien with metallic skin who can travel through space with the aid of his surfboard-like craft. Originally a young astronomer named Norrin Radd on the planet Zenn-La, he saved his homeworld from the planet devourer, Galactus, by serving as his herald.

'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' is an upcoming superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Fantastic Four.

It is directed by Matt Shakman from a screenplay by the writing team of Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer, Josh Friedman, Cameron Squires, Eric Pearson, and Peter Cameron.

The film features an ensemble cast including Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as the titular team, alongside Ralph Ineson, Julia Garner, Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles.

"I met up with director Matt Shakman, who's lovely," she said, adding, "We met up at some restaurant in Burbank or something, I don't even remember, but I knew it was for the Fantastic Four," as per the outlet.

Garner continued, "And then I was confused because I was like, 'Wait, isn't the Silver Surfer a man?' I was just like, 'Okay, well, I'll play anything.' I was a very big fan of Matt's, so there was already, in my mind, like, 'I should probably meet with Matt Shakman because he's a very smart director and I love his work.' And then he explained to me that it's Shalla-Bal and that whole thing," reported Deadline.

Julia Garner shared her experience of playing Silver Surfer, "It's going to be interesting -- I have to be so cryptic about everything, otherwise I'm going to have Marvel come after me," said the actress.

"But it was described as there's this mystery about her, and there's this sense of this ambiguous energy going on of whether she's good or not. She is the herald of Galactus, so she works for Galactus, but you're not sure where she stands. Does she stand with her boss, or is she just doing what she's told? She has this mysterious energy about her, and slowly that mystery will get solved with the audience throughout watching it," she added, as per the outlet.

If she were to do a solo MCU movie for Shalla-Bal, Garner replied, "A hundred per cent, I would love to do that."

"The Silver Surfer is such a cool character, and I feel like it's so rare to be presented with any sort of mystery in this day and age. So any kind of energy like that on screen, I know I want to see that, so that would be awesome if that happened," she added, reported Deadline.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah K.
Love that they're gender-swapping the Silver Surfer! Julia Garner is such a talented actress - can't wait to see her bring this character to life. Marvel's casting has been on point lately 👏
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Mark T.
Interesting choice to make Silver Surfer female. I hope they stay true to the character's essence though. Garner is great but I'm cautiously optimistic about this change.
J
Jamie L.
Julia Garner was phenomenal in Ozark - she's got serious range. If anyone can pull off a mysterious cosmic character, it's her! The Fantastic Four reboot is shaping up nicely.
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Alex P.
Respectfully, I'm not sure about changing established characters' genders just for the sake of it. Why not create new female characters instead? That said, Garner is talented so I'll give it a chance.
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Taylor R.
Shalla-Bal is actually from the comics as a female counterpart to Norrin Radd! Glad they're going with this version - makes sense for the MCU and Julia Garner will crush it 💫
D
Dani W.
Her excitement is contagious! Love when actors geek out about their roles. The way she describes the character's mystery has me hyped for this movie now 🚀

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