Doctor Strange 2 Star Xochitl Gomez Recalls the Surprising Moment She Was Cast as America Chavez
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will officially hit theaters worldwide next week, and the global press tour is slowly trickling out new information. The film will introduce us to new characters as well as reintroduce us to characters from around the Marvel multiverse. One of those new characters is America Chavez, aka Ms. America, who will be played by Xochitl Gomez in the film. During a recent interview with Marvel.com, Gomez revealed her reaction to being cast in the Marvel Studios film. The actress reveals that her agent tricked her before ultimately telling her she got the part.
"Once I logged on, Stella was on the phone with [casting director] Sarah Finn," Gomez revealed. "She said she had something big to tell me, and said, 'Xochitl, welcome to the MCU! You are America Chavez.' I was so shocked and frozen. It took me a couple weeks to process the news."
Victoria Alonso who is President, Physical and Post Production, Visual Effects, and Animation Production at Marvel Studios also recalls how they landed on their America Chavez. "We went through a very extensive search process with the Sarah Finn Company and her team, and after meeting with hundreds and hundreds of young women, we landed on Xochitl – who was the best choice for the character," Alonso revealed. "We were thrilled to have found someone who could embody the character with a fresh look at who America Chavez could be, and who could stand up in performance alongside the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, and Elizabeth Olsen. With Xochitl, there was a cheekiness about her. There was a spark in her eye. We saw the defiance of America Chavez in her."
Gomez is a newcomer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and her character is a very integral part of the film due to her ability to travel throughout the multiverse. You would think that with the film placing its bets on the multiversal plot line, the films writer would see it as an absolute win, but that isn't the case. While speaking with SFX Magazine via Gamesradar, Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, scribe Michael Waldron explained how Marvel Studios use of the multiverse is a double-edged sword.
"The danger is you can expand your scope too wide, and you can actually reduce the stakes if you don't make it personal as you go bigger and wider," Waldron explained. "But the opportunity in the multiverse is to have characters confront literal 'What ifs?' and alternate versions of themselves and perhaps others in their lives. It's an interesting way to hold up a mirror to characters."
"In every way, it shapes the emotional heart of the story. It has to. The multiverse isn't just a MacGuffin where we're like, 'Okay, this is just a kitschy thing that we're playing with in this movie.' If you're faced with alternate realities and with alternate versions of yourself that has to become the emotional heart, exploring who you might be if you were a different version of yourself, if you made other choices, the right choices or the wrong choices. It's complex stuff, emotionally, and that's exactly why it's so thrilling and so great for a cast as dramatically talented as this one." Waldron added.
Marvel Studios describes Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as follows: "To restore a world where everything is changing, Strange seeks help from his ally Wong, the Sorcerer Supreme, and the Avengers' most powerful Scarlet Witch, Wanda. But a terrible threat looms over humanity and the entire universe that no longer can be done by their power alone. Even more surprising, the greatest threat in the universe looks exactly like Doctor Strange."
The film is directed by the legendary Sam Rami and will star Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Benedict Wong as Wong, Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/ Scarlet Witch, Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier, Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to hit theaters on May 5th, 2022!
Are you excited to see Xochitl Gomez bring America Chavez to life? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or by hitting up our writer @NateBrail on Twitter!