Emmy winner Julia Garner joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe this summer as the Silver Surfer in The Fantastic Four: The First Steps.
In 20th Century Fox’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, the metallic character is portrayed by a man. In The First Steps, Garner will play the female version of the Silver Surfer, Shalla-Bal.
While speaking with EW, Garner had no idea a female Silver Surfer existed. It wasn’t until her initial meeting with director Matt Shakman that she learned about Shalla-Bal.
“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,” Garner said. “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.”
Marvel projects are extremely secretive, meaning the details are revealed on a need-to-know basis. Therefore, Shakman only spoke with Garner about the character’s origins and the decade the film would take place in, the 1960s. The scattered conversation led Garner to believe she wouldn’t win the part.
“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 admits that her Silver Surfer is the herald for Ralph Ineson’s Galactus, the cosmic force that consumes planets. However, Garner teases that the Silver Surfer’s allegiances are not defined.
“She works for Galactus, but you’re not sure where she stands,” Garner explained. “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.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens in theaters on July 25.