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Facing Fan Concerns Head-On
Amid the glitz London screen of The Fantastic Four: First Steps held last Thursday, actress Julia Garner complained during an interview about the controversy around her casting as the Silver Surfer. Garner was quite specific during her talk with the BBC on the heavily crowded red carpet that the fans who have been critical were not wrong. These detractors hold the point that the unique alien character, designed for the infinite cosmos, should be male in nature. Garner confided the way she took things, speaking about her down-to-earth approach, “Oh, well, you know… I was like, ‘I’m just gonna still do my job.'” This means she concentrated only on her performance despite the outcry on the web.
Garner provided crucial context, directly addressing the source of the debate. She emphasized to the BBC that she is specifically portraying Shalla-Bal, a distinct iteration of the Silver Surfer. Importantly, she pointed out that Shalla-Bal has always been depicted as female within the original comic book source material. One of the characters, the male Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd), is much more popular compared to the female character in the same role. Denzel is known to have played the physical character of Silver Surfer and Laurence Fishburne was behind the voice in the 2007 film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. “Shalla-Bal is the reason why it is different,” Garner demarcated in no uncertain terms, thus echoing the fact that the two surfers were different.
Embracing Positive Trailer Feedback
Garner was excited to hear the response of the audience to the first trailer of the upcoming Marvel Studios sci-fi adventure, and she did share that she got quite emotional that the fans liked it so much. So, she directly commented on this: “I was literally happy that people are able to associate with it, just like every other project of mine.” Besides, she showed her sense of not being able to believe of such a massive production and she openly said, “I’m grateful to be invited to this party, that’s why I said it.” This positive reception clearly meant a great deal to her amidst the earlier casting discussions.
Additionally, while attending the same premiere event, Garner responded to questions from Entertainment Tonight about a surprising social media phenomenon. Specifically, her unique vocal performance as the Silver Surfer in First Steps had sparked a viral trend on TikTok. Garner stated, “I was just acting and prepping,” in that she felt her voice would not be heard worldwide. Actually, she insinuated, “I don’t even have a TikTok, so my friends were sending me all these TikToks, and I couldn’t even open it myself.” Even though she was zoned out during the talk, she still added a smiling “I’m just happy there are people who like it,” expressing the warm welcome of the unanticipated positive engagement of her work.
Initial Casting Confusion
Back in April, Julia Garner openly discussed her early meeting regarding The Fantastic Four: First Steps with director Matt Shakman. With her account, she explained that in the beginning, she was quite confused by the role offered to her and even recalled specifically that “I was confused because I was like, ‘Wait, isn’t the Silver Surfer a man?'” However, her eagerness for the character remained unwavering. To be more precise, she chuckled on the idea of her reaction: “I was just like, ‘Ok, well, I’ll play anything.'”
Additionally, she was more attracted by the director’s name, as all of the TV series he had shot earlier were fantastic. Garner skillfully presented: “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.'” Subsequently, during their meeting, Shakman provided the crucial clarification, resolving her confusion by detailing, “he was explaining to me that it’s actually Shalla-Bal and that whole thing.”
Complex Character Motivation
Furthermore, Garner provided significantly more information about the enchanting role of Shalla-Bal, her character in the storyline of the movie. The character’s loyalty was only known to be seen, not given by her. At the same time, she is the Harald of the dark and monstrous Galactus (Ralph Ineson’s role) who is also consuming the planet. Yet, according to Garner, the former doesn’t automatically make the latter the ally of the plan of Galactus. Indeed, Shalla-Bal’s character is essentially a morally ambiguous character.
Audience Mystery Unfolding
Additionally, the actress described the compelling uncertainty surrounding Shalla-Bal’s intentions. “There’s a certain enigma around her,” Garner said to the publication, “and it’s this ambiguous energy of the good and the bad that keeps playing.” She then ventured into the central doubts concerning the development of her role: “Does she stand with her boss, or is she just doing what she’s told?” Garner confirmed that this deliberate enigma is a key part of the character, stating plainly, “She has this mysterious energy about her.” Importantly, she assured audiences that this mystery isn’t permanent, revealing, “and slowly that mystery will get solved with the audience throughout watching it.” Therefore, viewers will discover Shalla-Bal’s true alignment alongside the film’s heroes as the story progresses.
Open to Future Adventures
Finally, Garner explained her keenness to become Shalla-Bal again further than The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Even when she was a guest at the party and was asked straightly about redoing her role in a spinoff movie, she responded decisively: “A hundred percent, I would love to do that.” She passionately spoke about her very big love for the character, saying, “The Silver Surfer is such a cool character.”
She also mentioned that the quality that she admires in media today is not present, as she said, “and I feel like it’s so rare to be presented with any sort of mystery in this day and age.” Again, she spoke about the audience experience, “So any kind of energy like that on screen, I know I want to see that.” Concluding her thoughts, she simply stated, “So that would be awesome if that happened,” clearly signaling her eagerness for future Marvel adventures as the Silver Surfer.
