Everyone involved in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at boardroom level has made it clear that diversity and representation will be at the forefront of the franchise’s thinking moving forward, and few superheroes encapsulate that feeling better than Echo, who’ll make her debut in Hawkeye before headlining a Disney Plus series of her own.
Actress Alaqua Cox landed her first-ever acting job on Jeremy Renner’s Disney Plus solo show, and she must have given one hell of an audition if her spinoff was announced so soon afterward. The 24 year-old revealed in a new interview with PEOPLE how she ended up reading for the part, and explained just how happy it made her family when she got the job.
“I had no acting experience, I was only involved in one school play in high school, but I was a background actor. My friends saw the casting call looking for a Native American actress and female deaf actress. It just matched so perfectly, so I decided to go for it. I had never seen anybody on the screen that maybe looked like me; deaf, an amputee.
My dad actually cried, and it is rare to see my dad cry. My mom got the champagne, everybody was so excited. I just feel so overwhelmed by support and love. It’s crazy how much my life has already changed because I was a college dropout. I worked at a factory. I’m so excited to show people who I am and what I can do, what anybody can do.”
Cox might be playing a deaf superhero of Native American descent who also happens to be an amputee, but as her behind the scenes training videos have shown, she’s not boarding the MCU to make up the numbers. Production on Echo is expected to begin next year, by which time fans will be well acquainted with the character.
Based on the confidence surrounding the star from within the studio, Echo is set to make a serious impression on Disney Plus subscribers when Hawkeye starts rolling out on streaming, beginning with the first two episodes on November 24.
