Tatiana Maslani “can’t get around [her] idea” to be “She-Hulk,” the actress tells Hypebeast about her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut.
While Tatiana Maslany’s She-Hulk isn’t the first female superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to have her own Disney+ franchise, she definitely puts herself outside of everything in front of her. In addition to being a seven-foot giant with superpowers to throw trucks, Jennifer Walters is a lawyer by day, delivering justice on both sides of the fence.
The show strikes an interesting balance between these two characters in her life, providing a perfect backdrop for tackling contemporary social issues, though she doesn’t try too hard to preach due to the playful and comedic tone of the series . With She-Hulk, you can have fun and take home a few lessons.
Talk to Hypebeast about her MCU debut, Going Green and Mean, and her time with fantastic guest co-stars like Mark Ruffalo, Benedict Wang and Charlie Cox, Tatiana Cox Tatiana Maslany walks us through her journey with She-Hulk: Lawyer.
What’s it like to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe and see yourself transformed into a superhero?
It’s cool and exciting because She-Hulk has been in the comics since the ’80s, but never really. Her story hasn’t been told yet, so I’m excited for people to see her and how the irreverent humor in her comics lives on in this TV show. It’s crazy to be a superhero, but I feel so similar to Jennifer Walters that I can’t quite accept the idea. It’s a cool conflict.
The show has a rather playful and comedic tone, but at the same time, it tackles some very specific social issues. How do you think the series balances these two seemingly opposing aspects?
I think because it does deal with some very real experiences of women in positions of power or popularity, or just existing in the workplace but set in a superhero setting, it’s inherently interesting. There are these human emotions and issues that are really relevant, but the most important thing is that you let Huang in from another dimension, and the smart Hulk is trying to give She-Hulk advice on how to live, so this show does it the way I think People can laugh, but they’re laughing because they’ll think “I see.”
There are quite a few cameos in the series, such as Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, King Benedict’s Sorcerer Supreme and the highly anticipated Charlie Cox as Daredevil. Which character is the funniest in terms of their interactions with Jennifer Walters?
They’re all very different, and they’re all from their movies and storylines. My favorite aspect of playing with guys who come in from the bigger MCU is seeing them totally fit in with the whole tone, taking on the energy of this sitcom, making them goofy and turning the characters upside down. They’re both such skilled actors, and they’re all happy to tweak and develop their characters, like watching Abomination practice yoga, and that zen mentality is a role that Tim [Roth] is perfect for.
Marvel has now expanded a lot of the Disney+ franchise on the MCU, but the studio hasn’t revealed much about how these new characters will fit into the larger Avengers lineup. Do you have anything to share with us about She-Hulk’s future plans?
If I knew, I would tell you, but I really don’t know! As Kevin Feige said in Hall H, some shows will exist in their own pockets, while others will be part of a wider universe. I don’t know, but we have a lot of cameos so I can teleport to another movie, who knows!
