'WandaVision' star Teyonah Parris on show's painful 'Red Wedding' moment and becoming MCU hero Photon
WandaVision creator Jac Schaeffer dialed up a Game of Thrones reference to describe the hit MCU show’s “Red Wedding” moment.
It was climactic sequence in Episode 3: As suddenly lucid Geraldine (actually S.W.O.R.D. agent Monica Rambeau, played by Teyonah Parris) utters the name Ultron, Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) flies into a fit of rage at the mere mention of her brother’s killer, culminating (as fully revealed in Episode 4) with Wanda fireballing Monica through walls, fences and all the way out of Dodge, er, Westview.
The scene marked the first action stunt executed by Parris, the actress previously known for indie films like Dear White People, Chi-raq and If Beale Street Could Talk who has become a fan favorite for her alluring portrayal of Monica. It was not a comfortable experience.
“I’ve never been on wires before; man, that was uncomfortable... and very challenging to have straps in places you didn’t know straps could be,” Parris says laughing during a recent interview with Yahoo Entertainment (watch above). “And still try to act and have reactions that are true to the moment at hand, and not what you feel digging into your butt.”
Parris will have to get used to the stunt work (but hopefully not the straps). Not only is she slated to appear opposite Brie Larson in 2022’s Captain Marvel 2, it’s likely Parris has turned into Monica’s Marvel Comics alter ego Photon (later known as Spectrum) in front of our eyes. Episode 7, which aired Feb. 19, after our interview with Parris, showed Monica’s emerging superpowers after breaking through the Hex’s boundary — as evidenced by her light blue eyes and likely many other of the electromagnetically enhanced skills Photon possesses in the comics (not to mention that patented superhero stance). And this is all after Dr. Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) told Monica that her DNA had already been permanently altered by her previous sojourn in Westview.
“When I first got the role, I definitely was like, ‘I want to read the comics, I want to read the source material to find out who this woman is,’” Parris says about studying up on Photon. “We know that the MCU will pull from different aspects of the source material so I want to be prepared for whatever might happen.
“So I’m making my way through Monica’s canon, but she’s had a very long career so slowly but surely.”
WandaVision is now streaming on Disney+.
— Video produced by Jon San and edited by John Santo
Watch Randall Park and Kat Dennings talk about the show:
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