‘Madam. Marvel Star Iman Velan On Playing Kamala Khan: ‘It Looked Like Me’

To some extent, Iman Velan was Kamala Khan even before he officially became Kamala Khan.

After graduating from school, a Pakistani-born Canadian teenager walked down the street to his local comic book store, where he became obsessed. invincible iron man One day, the series forced him to make a copy of another title, on the cover of a Pakistani American teenager.

“I’m like, ‘Well, who is this brunette girl now?’” he remembers. lady wonder It was number 19, the beginning of the “Mecca” script: “I was surprised that Eddie showed Superhero Comics. [the Muslim festival marking the end of Ramadan].”

After that, he didn’t miss a single issue of the series and even played the teenage lover of the Avengers who became a superhero on Halloween. “He was a character of my complete comfort,” says Velan. “He looked a lot like me and a lot of things come not just from his background and ethnicity, but because he’s also a fan of Marvel,” explains Velan, 19, who plays the character on the Disney+ series. lady wonderOut June 8th.

Although no one in his family is in show business – his father is an accountant, his mother a nurse and his brother an engineer – they have always supported Velan’s artistic work, including acting and lighting for his school’s theater program and serving in the Toronto International Film Festival. “I think my parents, as immigrants, wanted us to try something new,” said Velani, who moved to Canada from Pakistan when she was one year old. “They will never be what they should be: ‘Just focus on your learning,’ because you can do it anywhere. “They brought their children to another country so they could have different opportunities.”

Such opportunities included a lady wonder A casting call received by Velan’s aunt via WhatsApp group chat and sent to a comic-loving nephew.

“I knew exactly which comics the scenes were cut from. [for the audition sides]Says Velan, who was almost too scared to send his own tape and continued until 3pm. “My 10-year-old self is going to hate me if I don’t do this,” he told himself. A week later, Velan and his father auditioned for the Marvel Studios Los Angeles office. “I was completely nervous ahead [co-president] Louis D’Eposposito and [casting head] “Sarah Finn,” he said. “I wanted to make the most of being there because I didn’t know if it would happen again.”

But how it turned out – Velani got word that he was handed over to the senior on the last day of the year – set off an even bigger moment for fans. “My favorite people on the planet are Robert Downey Jr., Billy Joel and Kevin Page,” he says. “Son [Feige] Have to install, froze completely. He tried to talk to me, I watched him leave, then I went back to my trailer and cried harder than ever. It was the most cathartic feeling.

Since then, Velani has raised elbows with a number of Avengers, including his actors next year. wonders. “Brigadeiro cheese [Larson]Throughout this process, I held my hand, Badger [Parris] “It was very beautiful,” Velani said. He also took the initiative Guardians of the Galaxy Star Chris Pratt: “He made himself so available for any help I might need in the future, so I emailed him about the press and stuff, and he emailed me with so many tips and things that helped.”

Velan’s life has already gone through incredible changes and he knows he has plenty of time to keep himself open in the future. His original plan was to graduate from the Ontario College of the University of Ontario Art and Design in Toronto, and he still enjoys being behind the camera. “I got interested in cinema when I started to see films by Ingmar Bergman and many by Agnes Varda”, he explains. “But acting is going really well so far, so I’ll see where that takes me. I want to try hard because I’m young and I don’t know what I’m good at. “I want to be in a business that I’m proud of and have a good message that Hollywood has never seen before.”

A version of this story first appeared in the June 1 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Click here to subscribe.