Vital Thrills recently got a chance to talk to the She-Hulk cast and crew, who gave us all the details about the anticipated Disney+ series from Marvel Studios. Present from the She-Hulk cast were Tatiana Maslany and Ginger Gonzaga.
They were joined by director and executive producer Kat Coiro and head writer and executive producer Jessica Gao. The series will begin streaming exclusively on Disney+ on August 18.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law stars Maslany as She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters, a lawyer who specializes in superhuman-oriented legal cases. Walters navigates the complicated life of a single, 30-something attorney who also happens to be a green 6-foot-7-inch superpowered hulk.
The nine-episode series welcomes a host of MCU vets, including Mark Ruffalo as Smart Hulk, Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky/the Abomination, and Benedict Wong as Wong.
Tatiana Maslany spoke about finding out she’d be playing the role of Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk. “Going to the courtroom was really exciting. It was fun. It was fun to step into what’s so great about the show is that it has all those huge Marvel elements to it.
“Like, there are big set pieces. However, we also deal with She-Hulk swipe dating. And we deal with her helping her dad carry stuff into the garage. So, it’s like, those little sweet moments that really made me excited to do this show.”
Coiro looked back on her love of She-Hulk comics as a kid. “I remember very vividly being a little girl and seeing the cover of a She-Hulk comic in amidst the sea of male comics. And just not knowing who she was or what this was, but knowing that I was moved by it.
“And that the idea of being large and in charge and, you know, taking control. Taking up space was something that really resonated with me. And I remember I bought that comic book. And so, when this show came along, it was really the culmination of a real dream.”
Ginger Gonzaga plays Jennifer’s best friend and paralegal, Nikki. “I would hang out with Nikki in real life,” she said. “Shamefully, I do feel like I’m kind of cheating on this show.
“I feel like Nikki’s pretty similar to me [laughs]. But yeah, I like Nikki. She’s very free. She’s that person you want, who can get away with anything, you know, and encourage you to do whatever.”
Gao talked about what sets She-Hulk apart from other female superheroes in the MCU, “I think the beauty of television is, unlike the movies, we actually have time and space to really sit with the character and learn more about them.
“And really get to know them as a fully fleshed out person. And what’s great about Jen Walters, She-Hulk, is that she, because of Tatiana Maslany, was able to immediately, from day one, make this feel like a real human being.
Gao continued: “You feel like she’s lived a life; she has life experiences, relationships, a family, and friends, you know? And also that she changes. She might feel different in the morning than she does in the evening.
“She might feel different today than she did yesterday. Like, this is a real person who actually feels things and processes things and, like most people, has highs and lows.”
Coiro talked about the show’s genre, “I would say that each episode really has a distinct flavor. And we pulled from so many genres. You know, the easy answer is that it’s a half-hour legal comedy. But it also has a huge cinematic scope and elements of drama, action, and suspense.
“And, like Jessica was saying, it really is a little bit of a peek behind the curtain at the every day, sometimes even mundane life of a superhero, which we do get to experience in this long-form series.”
Coiro also explained that she was rejected four times before She-Hulk by Marvel and that she was happy because this show was perfect. In fact, Gonzaga added, “You are perfect for She-Hulk because Jessica actually pitched herself by being like, ‘I know more about She-Hulk than anyone,’ which is the fact. And so, the universe waited for the one that was right for you.”
Maslany spoke about having Mark Ruffalo as part of the She-Hulk cast, reprising the role of Bruce Banner/Hulk, Jennifer’s cousin. “It is easy, like when Mark comes to set, and it’s Mark and I doing these kinds of sibling scenes, where we’re ripping each other, but also love each other very much.”
Gao was asked about dealing with the meta aspect of the She-Hulk comics and translating them into the show, such as Jennifer constantly breaking the fourth wall. “For me, foundationally, I felt like first and foremost was the fourth wall breaking and the kind of meta-humor and the self-awareness. It was the John Burn run that made me fall in love with this character.
“You know, it was just so, like, lighthearted and fun and refreshing. So that was always kind of a foundational element. And for me, because I come from TV comedy, the comedy was kind of a priority.”
Gao added: “But then what’s great about having such an incredible cast is it feels like you’re cheating a little bit as a writer. They come in, and they really just imbue this humanity and this realness into these characters. Where you were like, ‘Oh, I was kinda focused on jokes, but you guys made her a real person.'”
Are you excited to check out the series when it premieres on Disney+ on August 18? What do you think about the She-Hulk cast? Let us know in the comments or tweet us @vitalthrillscom.
Jenna Busch has written and spoken about movies, TV, video games, and comics all over the Internet for over 15 years, co-hosted a series with Stan Lee, appeared on multiple episodes of “Tabletop,” written comic books, and is a contributing author for the 13 books in the “PsychGeeks” series including “Star Wars Psychology.” She founded the site Legion of Leia and hosted the “Legion” podcast.