The debate on the merits of the superhero genre is one that continues to rumble on, with virtually every high-profile on-camera talent or filmmaker being asked for their thoughts on the matter when they hit the press trail for anything. Plenty of folks are more than happy to explore both sides of the divide, though, with Secret Invasion star Olivia Colman one of the latest.
With an Academy Award win from three nominations under her belt to go along with four BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, and a Primetime Emmy, it would be fair to call the 48 year-old one of her generation’s finest talents. Effects-heavy epics have never been her bag, so you can understand why Colman admitted to USA Today that she felt “unfaithful” swapping independent, character-driven projects for a chance to play in the Marvel Cinematic Universe sandbox.
“I feel slightly unfaithful to the smaller films, but I am a Marvel fan. After every Marvel film, I’d go to my agent, like, ‘Can I be a superhero?’ So eventually I got to do a tiny bit in a Marvel show and I was thrilled. From an actor’s point of view, to play and do all sorts of things is the dream. And I got to meet Samuel L. Jackson – the other Sam that I love – and Don Cheadle.”
There’s clearly no regrets on Colman’s part, and she’s accomplished and popular enough that nobody in their right mind would dare level accusations that she’s a sellout, but it’s nonetheless interesting to see established stage and screen performers admit that boarding an all-conquering IP creates a sentiment akin to unfaithfulness. We’re hyped to see her in Secret Invasion regardless, whether she ends up hanging around the franchise for more than a handful of episodes or not.