Captain America Star Anthony Mackie Gave the Best Advice To WandaVision's Teyonah Parris

By Russ Milheim Updated:
Captain America Anthony Mackie Monica Rambeau Teyonah Parris

WandaVision may have been mostly focused on Wanda and her husband, Vision, but other characters joined the MCU during the Westview incident. Among them was Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau, that little girl in Captain Marvel who grew up and became a part of her own adventures. 

While some thought the implementation of the character could have been done a little better, the character was still a hit and proved to be a memorable addition to the MCU. Not only was it Monica's first appearance since 2019's Captain Marvel, but she also experienced her origin story thanks to Wanda's grief-stricken creation of Westview.

Of course, WandaVision was only the beginning of Monica's time in the MCU. The season finale hinted at some connection to the upcoming Secret Invasion series, and she is also officially set to join both Carol Danvers and Kamala Khan in the upcoming film, The Marvels. Monica Rambeau is just getting started.

But, what's it like getting that call saying that you will be one of the next biggest faces within the MCU? Teyonah Parris recently talked about just that...

ADVICE FROM CAPTAIN AMERICA FOR TEYONAH PARRIS

Monica Rambeau WandaVision
Marvel

In an interview with Collider, Teyonah Parris spoke about all things Monica Rambeau.

Auditions are a daunting process for actors. One can't expect to get the role they audition for nor should they depend on it. This is something that Parris resonates with, saying that once she does an audition that "It is what it is:"

“Part of my process is, once you do an audition, once I do one, it’s done. It is what it is. I have to let it go spiritually and for my mental health, right?"

In the beginning, Parris actually didn't know who she was going to be playing. That information didn't reach her until she officially booked the role. According to Parris, she was in disbelief, telling her agent at the moment "Don't tell me it's Monica Rambeau:"

"...she [Parris' agent] was like, ‘It looks like you got the part.’ I was like, ‘Oh my gosh! What’s the part?’ Still don’t know what the part is. Don’t know the project, don’t know anything. And they were like, ‘Hold on, let me call you back and find out.’ She calls back, she’s like, ‘Uh, the little girl from Captain …’ She didn’t even say it before I said, ‘Don’t tell me it’s Monica Rambeau.’ And she was like, ‘Yeah, Monica, the little girl from Captain Marvel.’ I flew off the handle, so excited!”

Of course, landing such a big role is a stressful achievement. After the big news, Parris went around to some friends who had experience in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Among them was Anthony Mackie, fans' new Captain America. 

Mackie gave Parris what she claims was the best advice she received for the role. It was simple but important: "Make sure you have fun:"

“To have fun. I think when I got it, I’m like, oh my gosh, it’s exciting, but then it can be very daunting. It’s huge! And so, a good friend of mine - Mackie, Anthony Mackie, I’ll just say, our Captain America - he was like, ‘Make sure you have fun. Have fun. It’s good. It’s a good time, good people, have fun.’”

In the end, advice or not, holding such a big responsibility can be scary. According to Parris, though, she tries "not to operate in the space of fear:"

“I try not to operate in the space of fear. Even if it comes up, changing the language around it so that it doesn’t manifest into a full-fledged fear.”

THANKS, CAPTAIN AMERICA

It's good to know that Teyonah Parris already has a good rapporteur with the new Captain America. A great dynamic in real life usually translates perfectly on screen, so it's an immediate good sign for when the two eventually cross paths on screen—that is, whenever the new Avengers film may end up being. 

Parris at least seemed to take Mackie's advice to heart as everything points to her having had a blast bringing the character to life. She's even clearly in it for the long haul, already claiming things like wanting to have a superhero romance with Blue Marvel.

As for Parris' next time on screen, it looks likely fans will see her involved with the impending Skrull invasion in Secret Invasion before making her officially announced appearance in The Marvels.

As for any other projects she may appear in, there's no telling. Though, popping up in Disney+'s Ms. Marvel to introduce herself to Kamala might be a real possibility.

- In This Article: WandaVision
Release Date
January 15, 2021
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- About The Author: Russ Milheim
Russ Milheim is the Industry Relations Coordinator at The Direct. On top of utilizing his expertise on the many corners of today’s entertainment to cover the latest news and theories, he establishes and maintains communication and relations between the outlet and the many studio and talent representatives.