Ms. Marvel Director Meera Menon On How Shows Like The Walking Dead Informed Her Work On Ms. Marvel - Exclusive
When it comes to directing "Ms. Marvel," the show's motto is: "It takes a village." While many of the Disney+ MCU shows thus far have opted for a single director, "Ms. Marvel" went in a tag-team direction that really works for the series. Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were responsible for opening and closing the show. Meanwhile, Meera Menon took on the second and third episodes, while Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy helmed the fourth and fifth episodes. That may seem like more direction than a six-episode series needs, but if the rave reviews are anything to go by, the MCU knows precisely what it's doing.
Of course, every director brings insights from their previous work to anything new, which was certainly the case for Menon. In addition to her role as "Ms. Marvel" director, she's directed episodes from major shows like "The Walking Dead," "You," "The Magicians," and "For All Mankind." During an exclusive interview with Looper, she went down director memory lane to discuss how shows like "The Walking Dead" informed her vision for "Ms. Marvel."
Every project has a story
When asked how her experiences on previous projects helped Meera Menon prepare for "Ms. Marvel," she said, "Every show I do gives me lessons that I bring forward with me to the next show." One show in particular even helped her in the special effects department.
"'The Magicians' was a great show because it was a show that was driven by practical effects," she explained. "When we could, we tried to approach things practically on 'Ms. Marvel' as well, other than things relating to her superpowers. But we tried to do things as real as possible and make them feel as real as possible."
It's not only the projects that Menon works on that inspire her work. The cast and crew are present forces as well. Menon added, "Any time I work with an actor, I learn more and more about what is required to make them feel as free as possible to be as present in the moment as they can be. On all of those shows, I could point to any number of actors that have taught me more and more about how hard that job is and how so much of my job is to make them feel safe enough to do their job." She no doubt left the "Ms. Marvel" set with a whole new slew of inspiration and lessons learned from this dynamite cast.
New episodes of "Ms. Marvel" stream Wednesdays on Disney+.