Marvel Star Cobie Smulders Would Like to Play Maria Hill the Rest of Her Life

Making a commitment to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is sometimes easier said than done, as the physical nature of the films can often require an actor to push their bodies to the limit, with the arduous shooting schedules preventing them from pursuing other opportunities. Fans have had to say their goodbyes to actors like Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans with Avengers: Endgame, bringing their journeys to an end. In the case of Cobie Smulders, on the other hand, the actress would gladly reprise her role as Maria Hill for as many MCU films as possible, even if she’s unaware of her character’s trajectory.

“I would love to!” Smulders replied to The Hollywood Reporter when joking about her playing the role for the rest of her life. “I love being a part of the world of Marvel. It’s a magical, wonderful place filled with only nice, caring, considerate, creative people. Every time I get a call to work with them, I’m always excited. I have no idea what is in store for the Marvel universe and Maria’s role in it, but I’m ready.”

Smulders debuted as Hill in Marvel’s The Avengers, with her being one of the only members of the MCU to debut in a film and appear on Agents of SHIELD. With the crowded roster of heroes in the franchise, one of her most prominent roles came in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and, most recently, Spider-Man: Far From Home. The actress went on to detail how, despite having director Joss Whedon vouching for her, she doubted she’d score the role of the character.

“I don’t know if I was a preference of his,” the actress admitted. “I never knew that or thought that. I had done an audition with the casting director and the next level was auditioning with Joss and maybe some producers. Then, the next step was to do a screen test with Sam. So, I was in New York when the mid-level audition happened with Joss and the producers, and I was unable to make it because I couldn’t fly back in time. I think in a sense that he was able to vouch for me and be like, ‘Let’s just bring her straight to the screen test.’”

She added, “I don’t know if I was his frontrunner at that time; I had no idea. As a friend and with anyone who vouches for you, I did not want to let him down and mess up that opportunity. When the screen test happened, I thought, ‘I did fine. I didn’t embarrass myself,’ but I didn’t think I got it. I didn’t feel entirely confident about what I did, and then Joss called me like an hour later and said, ‘You got it!’ It was very unexpected, and I was obviously very pleased.”

It is currently unclear when audiences could next see Smulders in the MCU.

Upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1, 2020, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in Fall of 2020, The Eternals on November 6, 2020, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, WandaVision in Spring 2021, Loki in Spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, What If…? in Summer 2021, Hawkeye in Fall 2021, and Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021.