Gemma Chan Talks ‘Captain Marvel’ Character Minn-Erva

Marvel Studios upcoming feature Captain Marvel will be the first MCU film of its kind for several reasons; first female-fronted solo hero film, first MCU film directed by a woman (Anna Boden) [even though she’s co-directing with a man, Ryan Fleck], and the first to feature an Asian woman in a leading superhero role (Yes, we saw Michelle Yeoh in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, but she wasn’t technically a superhero?).

Gemma Chan plays Kree warrior Minn-Erva in Captain Marvel, one of only two female characters on the elite Kree team Starforce. We don’t know much about the character in the film yet, but, it’s safe to assume there will be all kinds of reveals.

Screen Rant was able to attend a set visit to Captain Marvel, and spoke with Chan a bit about her character’s relationship with Carol Danvers:

Gemma Chan: I suppose before Carol joined the team, Minn-Erva was probably kinda of the star of this Starforce team, and she was probably the favorite of the commander who is played by Jude Law. So yeah, so I suppose there’s more to do with their abilities rather than affections as such. But yeah, I think there’s a mutual respect, but yeah, someone else who’s also very good at their job. It’s kind of playful rivalry.

Just recently, Deadline did an interview with Chan, which covers several things, not just her Marvel-ous role (Did you know Chan has a law degree from Oxford? Or her prowess with a violin?!).

Deadline: How has the Captain Marvel experience been? I heard you had to be in make-up at 3am…

Gemma Chan: It was very different to any other job that I’ve done. I enjoyed the physical challenge of it. I had to train for it. I loved working with Brie [Larson] and with [directors] Anna [Boden] and Ryan [Fleck] and the rest of the cast. They’re all brilliant. I think the caliber of the people and the talent that Marvel can attract is what’s really attractive to me. I think it’s going to be fun. I haven’t seen it. I’ve heard a rumor that we’re not going to be allowed to see it. I think it’s Marvel policy, so I guess I’ll find out what makes the final cut when I see it with everyone else. But it was fun to play something completely different.

I mean, the makeup side of it was challenging, having to get there so crazily early, and then being one of the last to leave because the derig takes another hour after you’re finished, so that was really tough, but, I loved it. Brie’s a wonderful actress and she’s just a really good sort. I think Marvel’s got such an amazing team. An incredible amount of work goes into it, and they really took care.

We cannot WAIT for Captain Marvel to hit theaters on March 8th, 2019, which just happens to be International Women’s Day.