Moon Knight Actress Reveals Big Change Made to Finale on Set

Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight finale saw the creation of yet another Egyptian god-inspired hero, as Layla joined forces with fan-favorite hippo god Taweret to become her avatar, aka the Scarlet Scarab. Their relationship begins with a conversation in a collapsing pyramid, with Taweret speaking through Layla’s body and actress May Calamawy essentially playing both roles. According to Calamawy, however, that wasn’t the initial plan. Taweret’s hippo form was supposed to be speaking to Layla in the pyramid, but director Mohamed Diab made the decision to merge the characters on the day the scene was shot.

“You know, I found out that I had to do it 30 minutes before we did it,” Calamawy told The Wrap. “Because initially, Antonia Salib, who plays Taweret, was on set. She was going to be in the chamber with Layla. And then Mohamed Diab comes to me in the trailer while I’m getting ready, and he’s like, ‘You know, I thought about it, and actually, she has to come through you.’ And I really didn’t know what that meant. I was like ‘You want me to mimic, like, suddenly be possessed by Taweret?’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, cool,’ and he leaves me.”

With a very short time to make the adjustment, Calamawy met up with Salib and tried to learn all of her Taweret movements and mannerisms. She just studied her co-star’s body language and facial expressions to figure out how to play both characters. The result of such a quick turnaround was a more authentic performance than Calamawy initially expected.

“And I had to just bring it. I didn’t have time to think. And I sometimes wonder what it would have been like had I had that time to sit with it,” the actress continued. “But I just threw myself in, and it was probably the most freeing experience of the whole show for me. Because I had Mohamed just giving me some notes, and then I would go, and I didn’t have time to look at myself. And also with everything that had gone on that day, I felt this totally makes sense for Layla. She’s like, having this break right now, a moment.”

Given that Layla and Taweret formed a partnership in the final episode, it seems as though there’s a good chance the instantly popular hippopotamus makes an MCU return at some point.

What did you think of Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight? Let us know in the comments!