Aramis Knight is currently turning heads as the knife-wielding Red Dagger on the exciting new series Ms. Marvel. While the show has a wide variety of talented actors, Knight was actually the first cast member to join the series.
While speaking with Discussing Film, the American actor of Pakistani and Indian descent discussed the long wait time after auditioning before hearing back from the studio, as well as the pressure he faced due to his character being required to speak Urdu.
“Originally, when I auditioned, I didn’t hear anything about it for a few months. I was actually in Colorado visiting family and I got a call from Sarah Finn saying that they wanted me to test, but I also got the curveball that they wanted me to speak Urdu as well as have a Pakistani accent. So there was a lot of pressure involved in the test. There was also a martial arts test. Somehow, when I showed up there, I just kind of knew it was mine, it felt right. When I got the call that I was actually involved in the show, I was just speechless.”
The Ender’s Game actor went on to reveal that he was the first to be brought on board, and even though he wanted to take on the role of Red Dagger, he had no idea which character he was set to play.
“I was actually the first person who was on board for Ms. Marvel and I didn’t even know which character I was going to play. I wasn’t sure that I was going to be Red Dagger yet. But I really wanted to be Red Dagger because he’s already iconic in his own ways, and I wanted to play with a new dialect. I thought it would be a good challenge for me. It was really a dream come true.”
It’s great that the young star received the role he had envisioned, and he’s already a fan favorite. Knight’s performance comes as a great comfort to fans who have followed him as M.K. on the AMC series Into the Badlands, where he also showed off his martial arts skills.