Secret Invasion: Olivia Colman Begged Her Agent To Land Her A Role In The MCU
Olivia Colman has accomplished a lot of amazing feats in her career, including winning an Oscar for "The Favourite" and an Emmy for "The Crown." But until "Secret Invasion," one important item remained firmly unchecked on her resume — a role in a Marvel Cinematic Universe project.
It seems that dreams do come true if you work hard enough ... and if you beg your agent to get a foot in the door for you. Apparently, Colman did a little pleading with her reps to land the part of Special Agent Sonya Falsworth. "After every Marvel film that's landed in cinemas, I've phoned my agent and said 'Please get on me in the Marvel!,'" she said during a press conference attended by Looper. "And finally, either she got fed up of me calling her, or it happened. So it wasn't 'Why Secret Invasion?' Secret Invasion called — any mention of the word Marvel and I'd be in it."
While it did take a few years, Colman finally has her Marvel role. It turns out the actress is a huge fan of superhero films and has previously spoken out about her dream of appearing in a Marvel-related production — even wishing aloud that her new character would sprout superpowers.
Olivia Colman has long hoped to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Olivia Colman has spoken out multiple times about her desire to appear in the Marvel world. She told USA Today in December 2022 that she's a big MCU fan, and felt privileged to work with Samuel L. Jackson and Don Cheadle on the miniseries. The actress even admitted that she felt like talking about her MCU role was an act of minor unfaithfulness to her work in smaller, independent productions — one of which, "Empire of Light," she was promoting in the newspaper at the time.
While Colman said she had fun working with the "Secret Invasion" cast and declared herself pleased with the finished product, there was one thing about playing the very ruthless (and very human) Special Agent Sonya Falsworth that she felt could be improved upon.
During a May 2023 interview with Empire Magazine, she admitted she wanted Sonya to sprout superpowers. "I kept asking if I could be bitten by something, or fall into a vat of something. They were having none of it." Time will tell if Sonya ever gains super strengths. Marvel fans can follow her exploits when "Secret Invasion" hits Disney + on June 21. Hungry for a sneak peek? The first five minutes of the first episode are free to watch at theinvasionhasbegun.com.