Tatiana Maslany makes her Marvel Cinematic Universe in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, streaming exclusively on Disney+ beginning August 18. The new series follows beloved comic book character Jennifer Walters (Maslany), who is Bruce Banner’s (Mark Ruffalo) cousin and must contend with gaining his Hulk powers.
Billed as part law comedy and part superhero origin story, She-Hulk balances the personal problems that Hulking out can lead to with the professional opportunities that arise from working alongside powered individuals.
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Related: Complete Hulk MCU Timeline Before She-Hulk
Ahead of the new Marvel Studios series, Tatiana spoke to Screen Rant about how ‘She-Hulk’ explores the in-between moments in the MCU and what she wanted to bring to the role of the iconic Marvel character. Maslany also opens up about the struggle Jennifer Walters faces when she has to integrate She-Hulk into every aspect of her personal, professional, and dating life.
Screen Rant: She-Hulk’s so much fun. It is so binge-able. I absolutely love it. Jen is forced to integrate the She-Hulk into all aspects of her life. Her professional life, her dating life. How has that impacted the ways that she views herself, and how the world sees her?
Tatiana Maslany: That’s a great question, because that feels like the total crux of the show. Do you know what I mean? Is like she does have to contend with suddenly occupying a different body, and being looked at completely differently. Being spoken to totally different, and being allowed into different rooms, and all of that. That sense of suddenly being in power and having attention is like a fraudulent feeling.
She really struggles with it, and midway through the season, there’s a great episode that really digs into that. You’re talking about the dating life, same thing. Would these people want to date her if she was just Jen?
One of the things I absolutely love about this show is it feels like the in-between moments of the MCU. Because just watching her set up a dating profile, it’s so relatable. Can you talk to me about working with Jessica as a collaborator, and how she understands the characters?
Tatiana Maslany: Yeah. I mean, she just gets it. And the reason I wanted to do this part was exactly what you’re saying, is for the in-betweens, is for the moments of banality. The very everyday life stuff that is set against the backdrop of like also this woman is superhuman, is so funny. And just, it’s exactly the kind of stuff I like.
Because the big stuff is great, but I always want to know, where are they eating afterward? Or like, what do they do if they trip, and stub their toe or their cape doesn’t fit? That stuff is what humanizes a character, and also makes it so funny, and all of it.
Oh, yes. I live for that stuff.
Tatiana Maslany: Yeah, same.
I want to talk a little bit about Mark Ruffalo, because he’s been portraying this role for about 10 years, give or take. Can you talk to me about what surprised you the most about his embodiment of the Hulk and Bruce Banner?
Tatiana Maslany: Yeah. I feel like what surprised me the most—but also didn’t, just because I know he’s such an incredible actor—was how much he comes to set with this sense of, “Everything is new.” He just always seems to be exploring and experiencing it for the first time.
There’s never this sense of like, “Yeah, yeah. I’ve been doing this for 10 years, and I’m phoning it in.” He’s absolutely present. He’s always stretching that character, and he’s always listening. And he really creates this sense on set with other actors, and with the crew and everybody, of total play and spontaneity. And you know we’re both in mo-cap suits. And yet, we felt like we were just like two kids playing.
What did you want to bring to the role of Jen that wasn’t necessarily on the page?
Tatiana Maslany: That’s a cool question. I feel like whatever I did bring did just feel like even if it wasn’t on the page, it was inspired by the page.
And there’s something about Jen that occupies a very feminine, joyful place. She has an experience of her femininity that is buoyant and all of that. But she also has this kind of little boy vibe about her. And something about that was… I think also knowing Jessica, she and I just operate in that place together. So, there was something about our own interactions that bled into the character.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Synopsis
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law follows Jennifer Walters as she navigates the complicated life of a single, 30-something attorney who also happens to be a green 6-foot-7-inch superpowered hulk.
Catch our SDCC interviews with the cast of She-Hulk as well as our interviews with star Ginger Gonzaga, head writer Jessica Gao, and director Kat Coiro.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premieres August 18 on Disney+.
