Emma Corrin revealed in a video interview with British GQ that they requested a personal trainer in order to transform into the villainous Cassandra Nova for Marvel’s “Deadpool and Wolverine,” but the studio rejected their proposal. It turns out undergoing a physical transformation was not what the Marvel team was envisioning for Corrin’s MCU debut.
“This is funny because I did ask if I could have a personal trainer and they said no,” Corrin said. “They said I don’t have to undergo any physical training. I was so ready to undergo a huge transformation but they were like, ‘That’s absolutely not required of you. Please stand down.’ I tried.”
Comic book readers know Cassandra as the evil twin sister of Charles Xavier. Just how the character factors into the “Deadpool and Wolverine” storyline has yet to be revealed. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Corrin said that Ryan Reynolds and director Shawn Levy told them that Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” villain Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) was top of mind when the duo envisioned their “Deadpool and Wolverine” villain.
“He’s so disarmingly polite and nice and unaffected, and it’s really creepy,” Corrin said. “It’s all the more sinister because he doesn’t need to do anything.”
Corrin added, “Ryan and Shawn pitched this idea, which I was totally on board with: ‘We want this villain to not be a villain in the sense that you expect them to be. We want you to be so endeared by her, so charmed by her, and just when you think that maybe she’s totally seen into your soul and you are going to be best friends for life, you’re dead.’”
Levy previously told Empire magazine that he courted Corrin to star in the film after he saw them perform in a stage production of “Orlando” last year. Levy set up a meeting with Corrin, but they had no idea what it was for, given Marvel’s ultra-secrecy. Corrin told Levy that they’re absolutely baffled by the MCU and would need a crash course on all things Marvel if they were to take on the role.
“Hands up, I’m not a Marvel person,” Corrin said. “I’ve watched ‘Spider-Man’ and ‘Black Panther.’ I was like, ‘Look, you’re gonna have to debrief me into this.’ It’s such an intricate world. There’s so much to it, it’s an absolute mindfuck. All the language and the Easter eggs, and this person is related to that person who did this, and this person came back and this person’s dead… it’s amazing.”
“I really understand why it means as much as it does to so many people,” Corrin added. “It’s a phenomenon, and I feel really lucky to be part of it. Especially ‘Deadpool,’ because I love the fact that it’s self-aware, and critical of its own inner-workings.”
“Deadpool and Wolverine” opens in theaters July 26. Watch Corrin’s full interview with British GQ in the video below.
