Iman Vellani ‘still processing’ her ‘Ms. Marvel’ stardom

Iman Vellani, a 19-year-old Pakistani-Canadian actor, still can’t figure out her life. Not long ago, she was lamenting the fact she didn’t have a real high school graduation because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But she did get a pretty incredible grad gift. Otherworldly, in fact.

“On graduation day, I got the call from Disney saying, ‘Would you like to play the title character Kamala Khan in ‘Ms. Marvel’ for us?” she recalls.

College? Please. She was officially an Avenger in the TV version of bestselling comic book series “Ms. Marvel,” now playing on Disney+. Vellani will also reprise the role in the 2023 film “The Marvels.”

“My aunt read about an open casting call for the series on an app. I thought it was a scam,” Marvel’s first Muslim star, clad in a crimson dress, says on a warm spring afternoon. “I wrote in. Disney said, ‘Send us a resume and a head shot.’ I sent my academic resume. They sent back ‘sides,’ or a scene, for me to learn.”

“It was the typical ‘I can’t do it, fear of failure. I will never get this. What am I doing?’ kind of thing,” says Vellani who was born in Pakistan and moved with her parents to Canada when she was a baby before settling in New York.

In “Ms. Marvel,” she plays a Muslim-American teenager growing up in Jersey City. Her Kamala Khan is a gamer and a fan-fiction writer, plus a superhero megafan with an oversized imagination, especially concerning her everything: Captain Marvel.

She really doesn’t fit in at school, a feeling that is heightened when she discovers she’s quite different.

Review-Journal: Have any of the Avengers reached out to welcome you to the pack?

Iman Vellani: Brie Larson (who plays Captain Marvel) reached out to me just after I got the part. We did a FaceTime for a while, and she has been an amazing resource and mentor throughout this whole process. Marvel has completely changed her life.

When did you know that you had an actual shot at this role?

After I sent in a tape with my scene, I got a call from Disney asking, “Do you have a lawyer?” Then they told me, “We’re sending you to L.A.” There was only one problem: I told them I had school that day and a big test. I took my test and then my dad and I flew to L.A.

During the middle part — after the audition, but before you got it — did you think you had a shot?

No! After L.A., I got an email saying, “Thank you very much. You’re in the running. We have to figure out some stuff on our side.”

How important is it to have a female Muslim superhero?

First, to have a comic with someone who looks like me freaked me out. I’ve never seen that before in my life. And with that comic and the show, we can bring people into a different culture. Her culture and religion are part of her life, and that is part of our story. This teenage superhero wakes up, prays, goes to school and has a loving family. It’s all about balance in life, and now she’s a superhero, too.

What is the message? Should we all search for our inner superhero?

That really is the message. Everyone has a superhero inside. They just have to activate it. I hear: Girls from New Jersey as superheroes? My answer: Well, yes. The other thing is her real powers are the love from family and friends.

But the costume is still tough on the body.

(Laughs.) There are many cultural elements in that suit, including the scarf. The key was the suit had to feel very Marvel, plus it had to work in action scenes. It couldn’t ride up. I did a lot of fittings to get it right. I do remember the camera test in the suit. We had just done a fitting in my trailer and I walked onto set with the suit on the first time. They loved it. The character even says, “When I put this on, I feel like me.” The suit made me feel more confident, too.

How are you handling the fame part?

I’m still processing it. I mean, there are billboards with my face on them. It’s just surreal. Just the fandom of it all is truly thrilling.

And, if you could borrow a few powers for you real life, what would those be?

I want telepathy. How cool to see inside minds. Yeah, that’s the one.