Patti LuPone Didn’t Know Marvel Before ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’ Role: ‘I’m Still Not Familiar with It’
Christian Zilko
Watching and understanding a new Marvel movie has an increasingly high barrier to entry, as there are 30 feature films and countless Disney+ shows that inform the larger storyline. Catching up on the series can be tough — as Patti LuPone has learned firsthand.
The Broadway legend and “Beau Is Afraid” star will make her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in the upcoming “Agatha: Coven of Chaos.” The Disney+ series, which hails from “WandaVision” creator Jac Schaeffer, expands on the fantasy elements of the MCU by following a group of mythical witches played by LuPone, Kathryn Hahn, and Aubrey Plaza.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, LuPone said that she was far from a Marvel expert when she took the role and has been doing her homework to figure out what is going on in the MCU. “I’m still not familiar with it,” LuPone said. “I had to watch ‘WandaVision’ twice to figure it out.”
That said, LuPone is enjoying her first foray into the massive superhero franchise. “I’m having a blast,” she said. “It’s a wonderful group of women, plus a phenomenal crew. I mean, the design on this piece is extraordinary. Jac Schaeffer is so talented, she’s the creator of ‘WandaVision’ and now ‘Coven of Chaos,’ and it’s an extraordinary cast of women.”
LuPone’s remarks echo similar comments she recently made on “The View,” where she said she was unaware that the MCU contained witches before taking the role. “It’s a coven of witches, and I play Lilia Calderu, who apparently is in the Marvel world. I researched her, she’s hot, she’s really hot, she’s got a great body and hair,” LuPone said. “I didn’t know there were witches, I didn’t know anything about the Marvel world. There are witches in the Marvel world.”
LuPone is far from the only actor to be confused by the intricate comic book mythology they walked into after taking a Marvel role. Christian Bale — certainly no stranger to superhero movies — recently revealed that he had no idea that his “Thor: Love and Thunder” role made him a part of a larger cinematic universe.
“That didn’t even enter into my head at all,” Bale said. “I’d read that, and people would go, ‘Oh, look at this! He’s entered the MCU!‘ And I’d go, ‘I’ve done what? I haven’t entered shit, thank you very much.’ I’m like, ‘The MCU?’ I had to ask what that was.”
