Given how much money is involved in the MCU, it’s not surprising that there’s a huge element of secrecy involved around every new release. From stopping spoilers to making sure Easter eggs remain hidden until the very last moment, there’s a huge pressure on everyone involved in the production of a Marvel film to keep their lips shut. However, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania star Katy O’Brian has recently revealed just how tight the MCU ship is when it comes to avoiding leaks.
In an interview with Inverse, O’Brian revealed that because of Marvel Studios’ highly secretive audition process, she didn’t even know what project or role she was auditioning for — so, she must have absolutely killed it to get the part.
The Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania star knows a little something about big reveals, with the character she recently played in The Mandalorian only having their name revealed toward the end of season three, after appearing in the previous season. But, even for a seasoned professional such as herself, the Marvel process was a real doozy — so much so that she was certain she was interviewing for The Marvels. If you want to know how Katy O’Brian managed to smash an audition without even knowing what film it was for, then read ahead!
What was O’Brian’s audition like?
O’Brian went into a fair amount of detail about her audition for the role of Jentorra, the leader of a group of rebels known as the Freedom Fighters. The martial artist wasn’t the biggest name before her role, but she would have been a familiar face to many, having appeared in shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Walking Dead, as well as films like Power Rangers: Zenith.
O’Brian described the scene she auditioned for, and from what she says, it’s easy to see why she wouldn’t have guessed it was the newest Ant-Man film that she was vying for a part in.
“It was me around a campfire talking to several different women. I was just talking about why our people were displaced in the guerrilla village, but all the details were changed.”
O’Brian had already worked with the casting director for Ant-Man, as it was the same person who cast roles for The Mandalorian. Yet, even with this personal relationship, she wasn’t told anything about the role she was up for.
“[The casting director was the same person] so they did know my work, and I have worked with Peyton [Reed, who directed both Ant-Man and episodes of The Mandalorian] before, but I did have to audition for it… but later, I was talking to Peyton and he goes, ‘I saw you auditioned. It was good.’ And I was like, ‘Not great?’ But we met up, had a chat and I think it was a little bit of, ‘I already know your work and thought you could do the part and here you are.’ But they still went through the whole secret channel thing. Didn’t tell me what I was auditioning for, how big the part was, anything.”
So, it was all highly secretive, even for an insider like O’Brian.
Why did O’Brian think she was auditioning for The Marvels?
O’Brian is clearly familiar with the MCU, and with her pre-existing knowledge and what she gleaned from her secretive audition, she was certain that she was actually auditioning for a role in The Marvels. “[When auditioning] In my head, I’m like, ‘Okay, this is for The Marvels for sure,’” she told Inverse. And, after her trial for the role, she was even more certain she’d tried out for the upcoming crossover film.
“I’m talking to all these women. What Marvel movie has a bunch of women? The Marvels. I was surprised to find out it was Ant-Man. It was so random, and the character just doesn’t fit in the Ant-Man Universe until you realize they’re going into the quantum world.”
The Marvels is set to take place in a destabilized universe, so it’s not a big jump to think that a group of rebellious women talking around a campfire could be a scene in the film. Even after O’Brian discovered what she was working on, she had to lie to others to make sure that no spoilers made their way out into the world.
How did O’Brian find it working on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania?
O’Brian discussed how filming Marvel and Star Wars projects differed, and seemed to be a little bit in awe of the scale of the Marvel production.
“Ant-Man was just very vast. Really, really large practical sets and then a blue screen surrounding you. I think the other side of things like where Michelle Pfeiffer and, and Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lilly were, I think that was mostly Volume, but where I was, it was mostly blue screen. Part of the reason for that I think is we had all these huge battle scenes and so much action, so we needed a lot of the space to move around.”
She went on to describe how MCU projects meant “working with some of the best in the industry… the best DPs, the best makeup artists, best hair, it’s definitely luxurious.” Among all the technical information, she couldn’t deny her excitement at working on the project as a Marvel fan.
“You kind of feel like a franchise baby in a way cuz you’re like, okay, I’m in the 20th rendition of both of these projects. But it’s also something that I grew up watching. I would watch Marvel Saturday morning cartoons…But it’s an honor, it’s really fun, and it doesn’t feel real.”
With that all said, she was honest about her disappointment at some scenes being cut, and discussed how additions were being made to the script right until the very end of filming, making it hard to figure out exactly what would be in the film and what would end up on the floor of the editing studio.
“I had a couple fight scenes that got cut out and there were a couple moments with Bill Murray. Instead of just getting killed, he did a whole space pursuit with them and then wound up with Kang and got arrested or something. It was a lot. It would’ve been like a three-hour movie.”
O’Brian also commented on how she got to shape the character in her own way, something she considered both a blessing and a curse. “I didn’t have a ton of time to delve into, where did Jentorra come from? It was mostly like, ‘Am I the Jentorra from the comic books?’ And they were like, ‘No, you can just create your own character, basically,’ so that’s kind of where I took it.”
Sadly, it seems that even with all this hard work, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hasn’t managed to live up to expectations, with poor box-office returns and issues with it heading onto streaming services. The recent negative news about Kang actor Jonathan Majors potentially being a domestic abuser has hardly helped matters, either.
What projects has O’Brian got lined up for the future?
When pressed about a potential return to the MCU as Jentorra, O’Brian was forthright. “I love the character. If it was a chance to develop her further, I would love that.” She also joked about returning as a different character, a possibility in a franchise with so many different timelines.
“With the whole timeline thing, it would be hilarious to see people jumping characters, right? I think that’d be so funny. Like, you wind up in the Quantum Realm and Danny DeVito is Jentorra now, and then I am Professor Xavier. That’d be hilarious.”
For now, O’Brian is set to star in Love Lies Bleeding, where she plays a bodybuilder who falls in love with Kristen Stewart’s character. After that, it’s anybody’s guess — including hers, it seems.
