ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: Steven Spielberg Sent A Letter Recommending Hannah John-Kamen To Director Peyton Reed
With Ant-Man and the Wasp in theaters, fans can check out Hannah John-Kamen's performance as Ghost now, and thanks to some recent interviews we've learned a bit more about how the actress earned the role.
Ant-Man and the Wasp is currently in theaters, and thanks to an interview with members of the cast and crew, we have some new details on the casting process for the character Ghost.
This process saw Marvel Studios widen their search to actors of all ethnicities, something that doesn't happen too often with roles based on established characters from the comics.
“It was more about, if we’re going to reinvent this character from the ground up from what it was in the books, we should be open to all sorts of people,” Marvel Producer Stephen Broussard explained. “We just wanted to be surprised with a great actress.”
As we now know, this search would ultimately lead to actress Hannah John-Kamen, whose biggest credits at the time were the Syfy show Killjoys and the yet to be released Ready Player One. And director Peyton Reed has now discussed what it was like when she auditioned for the role of Ghost.
“When she read [for the role] she was really tough and physical, but she also played the vulnerability of that character. We liked the idea of presenting an antagonist who has these powers, which are potentially dangerous and lethal, but they’re an affliction for her more than they are a power.”
Still, while her audition was the factor that landed her the spot as the villain in the Marvel film, John-Kamen did get something most actors would probably love to have – a letter of recommendation from the legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg.
“It said, ‘Dear Peyton,’ ” the Ant-Man and the Wasp director explained. “ 'I’m excited you’re doing the movie and I just want to put in the good word for Hannah. I worked with her and she was terrific. Signed, Steven Spielberg.’”
In all, it sounds like the star had a lot going for her, with a killer audition and a good word from a film icon. Who knows, perhaps all of this improves the odds of John-Kamen starring in that Thunderbolts movie she wants.