The MCU loves a good AI, as Disney+'s VisionQuest is actively proving. Back in Spider-Man: Far From Home, Marvel Studios introduced E.D.I.T.H., an AI in Tony Stark's sunglasses that was handed off to Peter Parker, and briefly to Mysterio, shortly after Iron Man's death. Serving as a fleeting plot point for the film, the AI never made an appearance again after her initial adventure with Spider-Man.
Now, seven years later, not only is E.D.I.T.H. back, but she's getting infinitely more depth and character work than fans would have ever expected to see thanks to VisionQuest and Emily Hampshire's performance. Living alongside Vision in his mind palace with other AIs like F.R.I.D.A.Y. and D.U.M.E., and the villainous Ultron, played by James Spader, E.D.I.T.H. is one of Vision's closest confidants.
The Direct spoke with VisionQuest's Emily Hampshire to talk all about her portrayal of E.D.I.T.H. and how the AI has evolved far past the programming that audiences first witnessed in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Emily Hampshire Talks Breaking E.D.I.T.H. Out of Tony Stark's Sunglasses
"I Just Kept Seeing Her At This Job Inside These Glasses and So Wanting to Break Out..."
- The Direct: "E.D.I.T.H. is the hotshot... The fun, reckless one. Can you talk to me about the process of finding that in your performance, and also how that quality has kind of gone past what maybe her original programming was into this character that we're seeing here. "
Emily Hampshire: Yeah, I feel like I really looked at 'Spider-Man: Far From Home,' and she's just a voice and a tool to do whatever you know Peter Parker or anybody tells her to do, and I just kept seeing her at this job inside these glasses and so wanting to break out, especially if she has even the tiniest bit of Tony Stark's essence. I don't think he could stay trapped in something, and so that to me was her energy. I think how she enters the show says everything about E.D.I.T.H. She is, you know, parachuting in and crashing through a skylight and then just acts like that was what she wanted to do.
- The Direct: "F.R.I.D.A.Y. has a touching story and perspective about Tony Stark in the show, and the moment he died. Can you talk a little bit about how E.D.I.T.H. views that moment?"
Hampshire: It's so interesting because like, approaching this character, I really did go from where E.D.I.T.H. was born in a sense was 'Spider-Man: Far From Home,' and Tony Stark put her in a pair of sunglasses, named her E.D.I.T.H. for the acronym 'Even Dead, I'm the Hero,' which is a bit of Tony Stark snark, and he's kind of staying long after he's dead. And she had access to all the weapons, and yet he gave her to a teenager. So, who would that person or AI be if she broke out of the sunglasses? And that, to me, is the E.D.I.T.H. we meet in VisionQuest. Like she's dying to have fun, and yet her idea of fun is blowing things up.
- The Direct: "One of the closest relationships in this show with the AI group is between Edith and Friday. Can you talk about why those two are so close and how that relationship slash dynamic develops over the course of the show?"
Hampshire: I think it's so lovely. And I only got the scripts as we did it, and it was so nice to see that relationship happen. And it just felt like this bond that Orla [Brady] and I also had on set, which just felt perfect. And you know Terry [Matalas] is so good at using science fiction to tap into these real human stories, and I feel like that relationship—that's what he really did with that.
Our full interview with Emily Hampshire, alongside our conversations with star James Spader and showrunner Terry Matalas, can be seen below.
