‘Reservation Dogs’ star Devery Jacobs reflects on the pressure of being part of the Marvel machine with ‘Echo’ role

One can imagine getting the call from Marvel to be part of one of their projects would seem like a dream scenario, but Reservation Dogs actress Devery Jacobs is now opening up about just how much pressure can be entailed with receiving news like being set to co-star in the Disney Plus show Echo.

In a recent comedy actress roundtable with The Hollywood Reporter, Jacobs explained how there is so much assumed pressure about having a chiseled body when it comes to being part of a comic book franchise. However, she came to the realization that they cast her specifically, without the caveat of saying she had to change herself. But even so, reigning in the expectations set in her own mind proved to be a challenge in itself. As Jacobs explained:

“It’s interesting what you said about feeling like you have to look a certain way to be in the Marvel world. Because for me, and by no means am I a bigger person, I’m very tiny, I’m very much built like a Mohawk person, but there was so much pressure in the industry to look a certain way and there was always this thought of, ‘Oh, I need to be thin or be fit to be able to be in a Marvel project.’ And then I was cast in one, a [forthcoming Marvel] show [Echo], and I was like, ‘Now I have to be fit and I have to do all these things. But then I was like, ‘Hang on. I’ve already been cast exactly as I am right now.’ So, I feel like I’m constantly oscillating between feeling the pressure of that and then reminding myself of who I am and what my values are. That’s something that, as a woman, is always on the table to navigate.”

Someone really should’ve delivered the memo to Kumail Nanjiani since he clearly felt that same type of pressure. Prior to his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the movie Eternals, Nanjiani famously got shredded abs, but he didn’t even end up getting to show his new muscles off in the film. I personally rate that as one of my favorite wholesome Marvel gaffes of all time.

Just to be clear, Jacobs does not play the titular Echo but a character named Julie. Echo will once again be played by Alacqua Cox just like she was in the show Hawkeye. Charlie Cox’s Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio‘s King Pin are also set to return, following their respective appearances in She-Hulk and Hawkeye, according to IMDb.

Echo comes to Disney Plus on Nov. 29.