While promoting his new film, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Jonathan Majors revealed things didn’t necessarily start smoothly with the Marvel execs.
“I hope this doesn’t bite me in the a**, but I walked out of my Marvel general [meeting],” Majors told Vanity Fair in an article published Wednesday (Feb. 15). The “Lovecraft Country” lead noted the incident could have ended his chances of being the powerhouse he is today. “This was a long time ago. I had just gotten out of drama school, and I’m running around town and I’m sitting in the office. I grew up in a very particular way and I don’t want to waste nobody’s time. So I got in there and they’re just busy. And I was like, ‘I’m supposed to be here, right?’ It got long and I went, ‘I’m just going to go. It’s cool. I’ll just go,’” he continued. But it’s a good thing he didn’t leave because his visit paid off.
“I got to the door, but then they said [casting director] Sarah Finn was going to come. We got in the room and we chatted. We were having this great conversation. I think it was three years later that we had the Kang chat. And there’s no trepidation now, especially because of who Kang is. When I said, ‘Yes,’ we got the whole picture, and what is being laid out is cohesive,” he shared. Majors is one of the newest additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He joins Paul Rudd (Scott Lang) as Kang the Conqueror in the action-packed follow-up to the franchise which arrives in theaters today (Feb. 17). A synopsis of the film reveals Lang returns with his trusty accomplice Hope Van Dyne, also known as The Wasp, to explore the Quantum Realm and embark on a colossal adventure.
Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, revealed he saw the 33-year-old actor as the perfect fit after watching him in the 2019 film The Last Black Man in San Francisco. “He’s the highest-testing villain we’ve ever had in any of our friends and families [screenings]. That’s really saying something with a movie like this. Even early on without the effects, Jonathan is his own effect. He was working from the start,” Feige added. Fans agree — one person referred to the project as “the exact start [they were] hoping for in Phase Five. Jonathan Majors is already a top [three] villain in the MCU [and] he is TERRIFYING. I loved the entire dynamic between the Ant-Family. A great start to Phase Five.” Another claimed, “Jonathan Majors was made for this role.”
See what others are saying below.
Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania is the exact start I was hoping for in Phase 5. Jonathan Majors is already a top 3 villain in the MCU & he is TERRIFYING. I loved the entire dynamic between the Ant-Family. A great start to Phase 5.#AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania pic.twitter.com/pZhGWxgE6O
— Isaiah (@zaytaju) February 17, 2023
Bro, they had their eyes on Jonathan Majors fresh out of DRAMA SCHOOL? Since ‘Last Black Man in San Francisco’ ?!! Smh….this man is really a legend fareel. Cant wait to see ‘Ant-Man’ today ! pic.twitter.com/rewxckg7ai
— Joshua Neal (@joshuaneall) February 16, 2023
#AntManandTheWaspQuantumania is truly the best Ant-Man film.
I love all of those movies so much & Quantumania serves as another satisfying science family adventure w/ ants.
Kang is truly a menace and Jonathan Majors is truly an ACTOR.
Chapter 1 of the Multiverse Saga is here. pic.twitter.com/84pglH4Isa
— MT (@MasterTainment) February 16, 2023
Saw #AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania last night in Dolby Cinema at AMC. Kang is definitely going to be major issues for the MCU.
Jonathan Majors was made for this role. I thought the movie in itself was cool. In the end ppl forget this is really still a "Ant-Man" movie. #antman pic.twitter.com/mc5mGO2Q2A
— Jason Million (@JMillionNYC) February 17, 2023