Now that we’ve gotten our first look at Julia Garner’s female version of the Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four: First Steps, we’re also learning a little bit more about the Emmy winner wound up signing on to the project. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Garner revealed that she wasn’t even aware that her character, Shalla-Bal, or the female version of the Silver Surfer, existed until she met with director Matt Shakman.
“I met up with Matt, who’s lovely. We met up at some restaurant in Burbank or something. I don’t even remember, but I knew it was for the Fantastic Four,” she explained. “And then I was confused because I was like, ‘Wait, isn’t the Silver Surfer a man?’ I was just like, “Okay, well, I’ll play anything.” [Laughs] I was a very big fan of Matt’s, so there was already, in my mind, like, ‘I should probably meet with Matt Shakman because he’s a very smart director and I love his work.’ And then he was explaining to me that it’s actually Shalla-Bal and that whole thing.”
Garner also said that Shakman only shared a few details about the film with her, including the outline of her character and when it was set. That sparse, scattered conversation left her assuming she wouldn’t be cast. “I was like, ‘I don’t know how he will hire me for this job.’ I mean, we were talking about communism, brutalist architecture, all this stuff,” Garner said. “And then they were like, ‘You got it.’ I was like, ‘Wait, what?’ So I think that we vibed, but you never know, basically, is what I’m saying.”
Garner also said that her character might not always be 100% aligned with her boss, Ralph Ineson’s Galactus.
“She works for Galactus, but you’re not sure where she stands,” she said. “Does she stand with her boss, or is she just doing what she’s told? She has this mysterious energy about her, and slowly that mystery will get solved with the audience throughout watching it.”
