Jameela Jamil understands where Marvel fans were coming from when they voiced online criticism of her She-Hulk: Attorney at Law character’s look.
The actress participated in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s San Diego Comic-Con panel on Saturday, and she chatted afterward with The Hollywood Reporter about the Disney+ show launching Aug. 17. She made headlines earlier this month when she addressed fans who were critical of her character’s appearance and hairstyle from a recently revealed image.
Regarding how she felt about speaking out, the Good Place alum told THR, “It was great. It’s just a wig. I love the MCU. I love the Marvel fan base. I respect them, and I was merely making sure that they knew that I was with them. I was reassuring them. (Laughs.) I’m on their side. And so I never mind any criticism or feedback.”
Jamil, who plays antagonist Titania opposite Tatiana Maslany’s She-Hulk, praised the Marvel devotees for their passion and for helping to encourage the company to make appropriate changes to content when needed.
“As long as it isn’t done in a cruel or toxic way, I’m with the Marvel fan base when they push for more — I’m into it,” she said. As for whether she feels the need to let Disney brass know when she’s addressing negative feedback, Jamil replied, “No, I think Disney knew that they were signing a loose cannon into their universe. (Laughs.) But also, they trust me, and they know that I only come at anything from a place of love and respect for this fandom, for this universe. It was a really fun, funny exchange. It just wasn’t a big thing.”
Jamil teased “lots of big, fun fights” for her character and said she appreciates Marvel’s support in getting her action-ready after her initial concerns about not being physically capable. “For them to teach me jiu-jitsu and kickboxing and kung fu and how to fight in a harness in the sky — I tried to talk them out of it when they gave me the role,” she quipped. “But I’ve run away from the auditions for years and had to be talked into giving this a chance. Because I love Marvel and respect Marvel so much, I was afraid of letting down the fan base. That’s my biggest fear.”
She continued, “Finally, they talked me into it, and I think there was something about the pandemic that made me realize — as with a lot of people — ‘Oh, wow, life is so short, and we just have to grab every opportunity to live a new experience we can.’ I was like, ‘Maybe I’ll die doing all of these stunts.’ (Laughs.) But it gave me this renewed sense of adventure that made me want to try my best.”
The latest trailer debuted at Comic-Con, shows more footage of Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner and also teases an appearance from Daredevil, as played by Charlie Cox, now fully ensconced in the MCU after his Netflix series bowed out in 2018 after three seasons. She-Hulk series creator Jessica Gao told THR that the show’s team was “blown away” that they were able to include Daredevil in the action.
“We kept thinking they were going to pull the rug out from under us and say, ‘Just kidding! We just wanted you to feel it for a second and take it away from you,’” Gao said. “We kept writing a story for him and thinking, ‘This will never happen.’ And then it happened.”
Disney+’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law debuts Aug. 17.
