Ms. Marvel actress Iman Vellani dropped by Late Night with Seth Meyers to talk about her experience joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Vellani started the interview by saying she was partially excited because one of Ms. Marvel’s producers, Sana Amanat, was previously on the show in 2016.

Besides playing one of the latest superheroes in the MCU franchise, Vellani is also known for being a fan of the franchise as well. Growing up, besides McDonald’s, she would spend her allowance on Marvel comics. During the interview, Vellani was asked what it was like seeing Ms. Marvel for the first time.

“[The interview] was the first thing I watched after I read the Ms. Marvel comics for the first time. And I was, like, obsessed with her. I was like ‘how did she get a job at Marvel Comics and be brown and a woman at the same time? [Later] I was so jealous—me being like 15 years old. But yeah, I was obsessed with her. And now, six years later, I’m here talking about Ms. Marvel. And she’s here too somewhere.”

During one of the quarantines, Vellani made a stop-motion video with her Iron Man and Kamala action figures. “It was like literally my action figures dancing or something.” Vellani then sent the video to Kevin Feige and the show’s producers with zero context, and they liked it. So they changed the episode one opening animation to be stop motion instead of regular animation.

“In person? Like in the mirror? [laughs] No, it was crazy. She felt so different than all the other Muslim teenagers I was used to seeing in mainstream media. She was using her culture as something that guided her. And it wasn’t something she neglected at all. And on top of that, she was a huge fan. And the show is—the comics were never about being Muslim or being Pakistani. It was about this superhero-obsessed dork who just happens to be Muslim and Pakistani. And that’s how I felt in real life. And it was really comforting reading those comics.”

Iman Vellani Talks Meeting Kevin Feige

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The first time that Vellani met Feige, she stared at him until he left. “He’s really awkward. And if you’re awkward, then it’s just a double whammy.” Then he came back on a later Wednesday and said something along the lines of ‘Hey, Iman, heard you’re doing a great job,’ and she again stared at him until he left again. According to Vellani, Amanat ended up playing mediator between them at one point, which was awkward.

Vellani has been working on the project for two years at this point. During that time, she was privy to secrets and plot points that she obviously couldn’t share. Until now, at least, since Ms. Marvel completed its six-episode run on July 13th. According to Vellani, it feels so nice now because she “can breathe.”

“And then he came back Wednesday, and I had written this four-page letter. The first page was like me gushing over him. The next three pages were like 70 questions about the MCU and his life… And I gave him this letter, and the next day he called me and like answered the first 40 over Zoom. So yeah. I am more comfortable with the man now.”

Before the show, Vellani had planned on going to college and rooming with a group of friends. That ended up not happening once she was cast, though. Vellani ended the interview by talking about how she was with that same friend group when she learned she got the part. It was the last day of high school, and they were out doing stuff.

“I’m not present on social media publicly, but I do have like a lot of private accounts. Especially on Reddit. I’m just arguing with people about theories. I’m like, ‘you don’t even know what’s coming, man. Like, you’re so wrong.’ It’s so liberating.”

While a second season of Ms. Marvel hasn’t been announced, Vellani will reprise her role in The Marvels, starring alongside Brie Larson and Teyonah Parris. It’s set to be released on July 28th, 2023. In the meantime, you can watch the whole first season on Disney+ and the full interview with Seth Meyers here:

“And I get this text from Sarah Finn, and she’s like, ‘Hey, can you get on this call?’ And I was like, ‘No.’ And then they were like, ‘We sent you the link. Get on right now.’ And I was like, ‘Okay.’ And I’m in my friend’s driveway, and they’re watching me from the car, and I’m trying not to have a ration ‘cause Kevin Feige’s on my phone. It was just—my brain was spinning. And then I get back in the car, and they were like, ‘So what happened? Did You like win the lottery or something?’ And I was like, ‘Basically.’”