Iman Vellani has stolen a lot of hearts and made a huge number of fans in her short time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her turn as Ms. Marvel in the Disney+ series is one of the best shows we’ve gotten so far, but the new movie The Marvels really thrusts Kamala Khan into the middle of the Marvel Universe. This also allowed Vellani to work alongside major Marvel stars, like Samuel L. Jackson.
The Marvels cast is full of major names that Iman Vellani got to meet and work with, but I'm not sure any could have gone as well as her first scene with Samuel L. Jackson. Iman Vellani appeared on Late Night with Seth Myers where she talked about working with Jackson and told an absolutely incredible story that I just love.
Vellani calls Jackson a “generous” scene partner, and it turns out he was quite the mentor for the young actress. When Vellani wanted to try something of her own in The Marvels' big opening action sequence, which sees Kamala Khan fighting alongside Nick Fury at various points as the lead trio continuously switches places. Jackson went along but then explained why her idea wouldn’t work in the movie. Vellaini said…
I was doing that fight scene with him actually and I wanted to try something new, so I high-fived him, at the end of the scene. Creative choices, people. And then we cut and Sam goes, They won’t use that take. Do you know why they won’t use that take?’ And I was like [shakes head nervously] And he was like ‘Your hand was covering your face.’ And I was like ‘Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I ruined this for us.’
It’s an excellent piece of advice. One of the things that actors need to always be aware of, but that Iman Vellani, still a relative newcomer, might not have been thinking about. But Jackson apparently liked what the young actress was thinking, as he proposed an alternative that would work better. She continued…
And he’s like ‘Ok, on the next one, elbow me.’ And I was like ‘What?’ He’s like ‘Yeah, elbow me.’ I was like ‘Okay.’ So we get to the end of the scene and I was like, so scared of touching Sam Jackson. I lightly elbowed him, and then we cut. He’s like ‘No, no, no, no elbow me!’ I was like ‘Okay, I’m sorry.’
But it’s the end of the story where this transcends itself and becomes art. Apparently, Vellani continued to have issues with touching Sam Jackson, but Jackson was not having it. Leading to an interaction that apparently went slightly different in the actress’ head than it did in reality. She explained…
We do another take. I fully chickened out. Could not figure out the maneuvering of an elbow. Did not do it, and he grabs my arm, turns to me, and he’s like ‘Elbow me motherfucker!’ For the record, he didn’t actually swear at me. That’s just how I heard it. I was trying to get him to swear at me for so long. Nothing but hugs.
While Samuel L. Jackson isn't actually the actor who swears the most on-screen, he is certainly the one best known for it. Honestly, I think there are a lot of fans who would love to have the actor swear at them, so we can all relate to Iman Vellani here. She’s an incredible storyteller, and the way she relates all this is glorious. Based on the way that The Marvels' ending leaves Ms. Marvel, it seems like her crossing paths with Nick Fury in the future is pretty likely. Perhaps Iman Vellani can get Sam Jackson to swear at her next time.
