For Kathryn Newton as Cassie in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (in theaters February 17), Paul Rudd gave the new Marvel star one key piece of advice: don’t hold back.
“He made room for me. He let me try things, he told me not to hold back before we started filming,” Newton said Yahoo Canada. “I think it really freed me up to make mistakes because he trusted me with the character. He believed in me.”
“It takes only one person to believe in you, it takes one person to change your life, and between him and our incredible director, Peyton Reed, they just encouraged me not to hold back and this character deserved that.” It deserves an actor who would have fun, who would bring it up every day.”
In Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the story begins with the uncovering of a number of family secrets. Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) isn’t honest about what happened while she was in the Quantum Realm for 30 years. Meanwhile, Scott Lang’s (Rudd) daughter Cassie, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Hope (Evangeline Lilly) have been working on a secret project that will lead the family to delve deep into the quantum realm and become Kang The Conqueror (Jonathan majors).
You just encouraged me not to hold back, and this character deserves that.
“Watch this movie, watch the trailer. I don’t spoil anything by saying it’s all her fault,” Newton said. “You feel it in this film, she feels the guilt.”
“I think that in introducing this new version of Cassie that sets this new legacy for this character, it’s really important that she learns the responsibility of being a heroine.”
With such a star-studded cast, Newton admitted it was initially intimidating to star alongside these Hollywood giants, but stressed that she felt extra support from all of the cast. Thinking about how they went out of their way to make her comfortable even made the actor emotional.
“There’s a reason these people are iconic actors and legends in this industry, titans of this industry,” Newton said. “I’m the freshman and they just wanted me to do a good job.”
“Everyone, not just Paul. Michelle Pfeiffer was so nice to me. Evangeline Lilly… called me a few months before we started filming just to see if I needed anything. … People don’t have to do things like that. It makes me emotional to think about it. That’s why these films are so great. Everyone loves them and they love working on them and they loved me or made me feel like they loved me and I loved them. … No one can take that away from me.”
Young Avengers rumors
Introducing this version of Cassie only increases speculation about plans for future Young Avengers projects. The Next Generation story also comes with a well-documented friendship between Newton’s character Cassie and Kate Bishop, played in that by Hailee Steinfeld hawk eye Series.
While Newton says she’s not aware of any Young Avengers projects in the works and has no particular expectations of getting into this story, she also indicated that she would love to have the opportunity to work with Steinfeld in the future.
“I love Hailee Steinfeld. I love her in it hawk eye and I think she’s amazing, and of course I think whenever I could work with Hailee Steinfeld, I think we’d make a great movie,” Newton said. “That would be great, but I have no expectations.”
“I have no idea. Nobody tells me that. I’d love to do another movie with Paul Rudd, in whatever capacity. But like Kevin Feige said…the possibilities in Marvel are endless. Nothing is impossible. I think a lot that’s what the fans want.”
Ultimately, Newton believes in the power of fandom to truly push for the return or spin-off of a particularly beloved character.
“I was on a show called supernatural and I had a character called Claire Novak, and that fandom changed my life because they loved her,” Newton said. “I was only supposed to be in one episode and then … they tried to do a pilot, it was like a spin-off.”
“It was because the fans wanted it. … So the power of fandom is real.”
As the MCU expands, it’s natural that questions are raised about possible genre fatigue. For Newton, she is proof that these films, shows, and characters have the ability to have a lasting impact on fans.
“I think there’s a lot of magic in those movies,” Newton said. “You definitely inspire me.”
“I saw iron man when I was eight years old and I saw it at the cinema with my father and it blew my mind. I just wanted to be Iron Man, I wanted to be the greatest Marvel superhero of all time. I’ve kept that dream in my pocket throughout my career. … I think that’s what movies do. they make you dream I see myself in these characters and I enjoy escaping into the magical worlds they portray.”
