Julia Garner was confused about her character in The Fantastic Four First Steps: ‘Isn’t the Silver Surfer a man?’ | Hollywood
Julia Garner’s casting as the MCU’s Silver Surfer in The Fantastic Four: First Steps has not been without debate. The actor is playing Shalla-Bal, the female version of the Silver Surfer in the film, which some viewers have found odd. While the character is comic-accurate, she is not the ‘original’ Silver Surfer. Julia has said that she herself was confused when asked to play the character. (Also read: Who is Julia Garner’s Shalla-Bal? Here’s why Silver Surfer is a woman in Fantastic Four: First Steps)
Julia Garner on playing Silver Surfer
Garner said she “was confused” over the fact that her antagonist role, the Silver Surfer, is now a woman, reported Deadline. “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.”
Who is the Silver Surfer?
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. Initially, 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 character was seen in Sony’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), in which Doug Jones played him. But The Fantastic Four: First Steps features Shalla-Bal instead.
About The Fantastic Four: First Steps
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is directed by Matt Shakman and is based on a screenplay by the writing team of Jeff Kaplan, 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.
(With ANI inputs)
