Krysten Ritter “Fought” for Her ‘Jessica Jones’ Role

It turns out that Netflix star Krysten Ritter fought as hard as her character to get the lead role on Marvel's Jessica Jones.

Ritter was a guest at the Comicpalooza convention, where a fan asked her about the support she got from those around her when she tried out for the role of Jessica Jones. Ritter revealed what a truly special opportunity this Marvel role was for her, particularly as a female actor.

"This was a good gig to get," Ritter said. "So there was a lot of support, and this was a role that I really, really wanted and went after. Like I said, I'd been acting a long time and roles like this don't come around every day. It's so often that a role - and we're seeing things improve, we're seeing things more complicated, complex, well-rounded female characters now, I think - but for a while, it was like, 'This role's one thing.' Like, 'This is the funny one,' or 'This is the straight one,' or 'This is the voice of reason,' kind of like you would serve one purpose

"I felt like Jessica was this role that does everything and she's so well rounded and we see all the different sides of her, like us. We all have so many different sides, so I wanted to be able to play that. So this was a role that I read and I was just dying to get and went out and fought for it and we celebrated pretty big. It was a big one, you know? I'm really grateful to have this part that challenges me and allows me to stretch and grow and really sink my teeth in."

Ritter also recalled being on Stephen Colbert's show and learning that there weren't actions figures for Jessica and very few if any for other female heroes.

"I didn't know at that time," Ritter said. "He was like, 'There aren't any female action figures.' And I was like, 'What?! Girls can sell toys!' and kind of went on a pilgrimage to make sure we got some and now I signed a bunch of today. I love them. We have like four different action figures for Jessica Jones, which I think is great. Girls should have toys too!"

Ritter has starred as Jones in two seasons of Marvel's Jessica Jones and was part of the hero team-up in Marvel's The Defenders. She will return for a third season on Netflix.

Netflix's next Marvel series is the second season of Luke Cage. You can check out the trailer here.