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Teyonah Parris didn't know which WandaVision part she auditioned for, though she was fan-cast years before
Teyonah Parris’ introduction to the MCU was — like many things involving the MCU — shrouded in secrecy. In a recent interview with Variety's podcast Stagecraft with Gordon Cox, the actor talked about her WandaVision audition for the role of Monica Rambeau, including the tiny detail that the sides, or pages of the script she was given, didn’t shed light on who (or what) she was specifically auditioning for.
“The sides — that weren't actually the real sides — were sides to represent some of those first couple of episodes [of WandaVision],” Parris shared, referencing the show’s initial '50s and '60s aesthetic. “I was just like…didn’t you say this was for Marvel?”
Despite her confusion, Parris submitted her audition. Becoming a Marvel superhero had been a dream of hers since she was a child, after all, and she wasn’t about to miss the chance to become one, even if she didn’t know what role in the MCU she was up for. “I was so confused,” she admitted. “And they don't give you any context — I didn't even know the character; it just said, like, ‘Lady.’”
That “Lady,” we all now know, turned out to be Monica Rambeau, the daughter of Carol Danvers’ best friend in Captain Marvel, who was played in the '90s-era MCU film by the young Akira Akbar.
It turned out, however, that Parris was well-familiar with Rambeau before she even sent in her WandaVision submission tape. “I learned about [Monica Rambeau] specifically some years back on Twitter, because fans started fan-casting me as her. This was at least six years ago, maybe a little longer now. And so I was like, ‘Well who is Monica Rambeau, because y’all are really excited about this.’ I looked her up and I was like, ‘Oh wow, pretty cool!’” she said. “And I was like, ‘Well thanks guys but that will probably never happen.”
Parris, much to her delight, turned out to be wrong. We’ve already seen her first appearance as Monica Rambeau in the second episode of WandaVision. And Parris will be in the MCU beyond the Disney+ mini-series as well — it’s been confirmed that she will be in Captain Marvel 2, and while there’s nothing else officially on the Marvel books for Parris, MCU characters have a tendency to stick around.
Those that want to see Parris playing Monica Rambeau now, however, can check out WandaVision on Disney+; new episodes drop each Friday. No news yet on when Captain Marvel 2 will go into production, but the film is set to premiere Nov. 11, 2022.
