As the MCU expands—in a sense, like the Ant-Man and family do in their latest film—so does the number of its superheroes. Kathryn Newton is the latest actor to get the opportunity to play a Marvel superhero. This 11-year-old girl, who played Cassandra Lang, entertained dreams of playing a superhero after watching Iron Man (2008)—and now, her dream has come true. “I can hardly believe it!” she says.
With the film’s release set around her birthday, she shares that it has turned out to be her best birthday gift ever. “I am thrilled to play this version of Cassie. She is impatient, has a big heart, and really cares about people—just like me. This also means there’s a lot of drama and potential for conflicts. I hope that people love Cassie as much as I loved playing her.”
Cassandra is a compulsive giver and feels compelled to use her superpowers to help the needy—even when it seems self-destructive. Kathryn shares that she isn’t too different. “I love others as much as I love myself. I go out of my way to make sure they feel good. I feel this character is written just for me.” She adds that there is a downside to this personality trait: “The urge to help others also results in impatience.
Cassie expects changes to happen instantly. She wonders why anything good cannot be achieved immediately. But things don’t work that way in reality, and that’s what her father Scott Lang tries to teach her in the film.”
Interestingly, Kathryn has played the role of a daughter in multiple projects like Supernatural, Big Little Lies, and Little Women. She feels that all these learnings combined to land her Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. “I learn something from every film, and I feel fortunate to be part of such incredible projects. I don’t know if another project can top Quantumania for me. The film has taught me to take risks and move out of my comfort zone.”
One would expect a youngster who spent all her adolescent years in front of the camera to miss ‘normal life’, but Kathryn sees this as a blessing.”I was a shy girl while growing up. So being put in a safe place where I was encouraged to be expressive turned out to be a double treat. While other kids wrote essays about books they read, I wrote about movies I had shot for,” she says.
Kathryn adds that the crew she worked with for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania helped her a lot. “They showed great camaraderie and teamwork. In the film too, we work as a team instead of relying on a sole saviour. The characters in the world of Quantumania celebrate the little wins of Cassie, just like the film’s crew celebrated my performance on the sets. I really cannot ask for more.”