Julia Garner recently weighed in on the controversy surrounding her landing the Silver Surfer role. As backlash stirred online over her gender-swapped role in Fantastic Four: First Steps, the actress addressed the controversy at the film’s London premiere.
Julia Garner talks about Silver Surfer backlash
Julia Garner has responded for the first time to the backlash that followed her casting as the Silver Surfer in Marvel’s upcoming Fantastic Four: First Steps. While attending the film’s London premiere, the actress made it clear that she was focused on her work.
Speaking to the BBC, Garner shared, “Oh, well, you know. I said, ‘I’m just going to still do my job.’” She also clarified that she’s playing Shalla-Bal, a female version of the Silver Surfer. Previous Fantastic Four films featured the original male character, Norrin Radd. She said, “Also, it’s Shalla-Bal, so it’s different.”
Garner went on to say she appreciated the excitement surrounding the project. The actress said, “I was just happy that people are resonating with it, just like any other project. I’m grateful to be at this dance, to be completely honest with you.”
The Emmy winner previously spoke to Entertainment Weekly about her reaction to initial confusion when first approached about the role. She said, “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.’” Garner said she met with director Matt Shakman and learned from him that she would actually be portraying the character Shalla-Bal.
To prepare for her debut in the superhero genre, Garner focused on the source material. She shared, “I really dived in. I read a lot of the Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer comics before starting the project. And I knew that this ‘Fantastic Four’ was going to be told in a very different way than even the other movies.”
Garner stars alongside Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach in Fantastic Four: First Steps. The film hits theaters on July 25.
Originally reported by Disheeta Maheshwari on ComingSoon.
