From showrunners Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, Marvel’s Runaways, available to stream on Hulu on November 21st, tells the story of six teenagers – Alex Wilder (Rhenzy Feliz), Chase Stein (Gregg Sulkin), Karolina Dean (Virginia Gardner), Nico Minoru (Lyrica Okano), Gert Yorkes (Ariela Barer) and Molly Hernandez (Allegra Acosta) – who realize that their parents have been lying to them all their lives and that they’re really evil. As a result, this group of estranged friends, who also have secrets of their own, must band together to stop their parents before it’s too late.
On September 26th, Collider (along with a few other outlets) was invited over to the L.A. set of the series to chat with the cast and executive producers and learn about all things Runaways. During a small roundtable interview, co-stars Ariela Barer and Allegra Acosta talked about how much of a dream come true it was for them to sign on for a Marvel series, what it means for them to represent Latina superheroes, developing the child-parent dynamic with their TV parents, what they most enjoy about playing their characters, and keeping it all a secret from their friends and family. Be aware that there are some spoilers discussed.
Question: How much of a dream come true was signing on for a Marvel series?
ALLEGRA ACOSTA: So much! It was the biggest dream come true! It was almost unrealistic because, at the beginning of the year, before I even got this audition, I wrote my goals, and just casually I wrote, “Maybe I’ll be a superhero!” I didn’t think of it too much, but then, when I got this and I figured out what I was going to be and I ended up booking it, it was just so fast and so weird and unexpected. It’s just the most exciting thing, ever, to be a part of this cinematic universe that’s just about embracing your true hero. It’s so amazing!
ARIELA BARER: I feel like my formative years were right on the brink of Marvel taking over the entertainment industry. So, for me, it was always a thing to be like, “Maybe after I grow up and win an Oscar, I’ll deserve my Marvel stint. I’ll follow in the foot steps of Robert Downey Jr.” But it came a lot faster than I thought it would, which is exciting.
Latina superheroes are so far and few between. What does it mean to you to be representing not only your generation, but also a Latina superhero?
ACOSTA: I remember Gina Rodriguez was on Twitter like, “Where are all the Latina superheroes at?” And then, we were like, “We’re right here Gina! You probably don’t know who we are, but we’re right here!”
BARER: It was really important to me that you have characters who are Latinas, and who are super strong and powerful. We have such a responsibility to show that, even though we got this opportunity, we have to create more for other Latinas, and for especially girls who are my age. I don’t think you’ve ever seen 14 year-old Latina superheroes. It’s just amazing to have that broad spectrum out there and to show that we’re not our stereotypes. We’re much stronger than that and bolder than that, and it’s cool that we get variety within one show. We never end up falling into tokenism, or anything like that. It’s cool to have two of us because we can be truly personal and relatable in without having to worry about encompassing everything into one story. We can keep it as real as possible. People don’t have to relate to both of us. We don’t have to be the perfect role models. We can be human.
If one has to have evil parents, you guys seem to have gotten the nicest evil parents. What’s it been like to develop the child-parent dynamic with your TV parents, Brigid Brannagh and Kevin Weisman?
BARER: It’s so easy and so fun! They’re just so warm. A lot of the parents are very cold, as they should be because of who they are, and they’re fantastic at it, but our parents are the more fun, goofball, warm ones. I feel like it’s why we are the way we are. We’re the dorky ones ‘cause they’re just unapologetically themselves and interested in things. And in real life, they’re also just like that. Kevin and Bridget are just so warm and fun, and you can talk to them, from small talk to your deepest desires of where you want to be in life and your art. They’re just so easy to talk to that it immediately felt like family.
ACOSTA: Also, since Molly is adopted by the Yorkes, she’s also very curious about her family. She’s driven by wanting to know about her roots and where she comes from, but she’s also driven by the dilemma that she is in love with her sister and wants to be accepted by the older kids. I love them. They’re just so funny.
Is it even harder on your characters to have to deal with the fact that their parents are involved in something scary?
ACOSTA: Molly is not really related to them and she knows that, but she’s also curious to find out whether her parents were also involved in this.
BARER: How our characters cope skews a little bit from the comics, so I don’t want to give spoilers, but I feel like it’s equally hard on everyone. That’s just gonna be a painful experience.
ACOSTA: Who wants their parents to be evil?
What’s the coolest aspect of your characters, that you’re personally the most jealous of?
BARER: The thing about Gert is that she always knows what to say. She is a quick girl. I would have gotten through high school so much easier, if I could just talk the way she does and was as eloquent as she is. Also, she has a dinosaur!
ACOSTA: I get to have all these stunts that I get to work with, and I’m envious of that. Molly is just relatable. She’s innocent, but she’s mature and observant, and she’s aware of what her surroundings are. She is a kid, but she’s passionate and she has a desire to be eloquent and well-spoken.
How do you figure out the way you want to pretend to have superpowers?
ACOSTA: I’ve watched so much Marvel and it’s always been a dream of mine to be a superhero. It’s always been a little fantasy of mine to embody a superhuman. I’m not saying it came easy to me. I still had to work for it. But I felt at home, as Molly. I was prepared and ready for this. That’s how I feel about getting powers.
BARER: I feel like working with Old Lace is so easy, on some days, and then so hard, because of her mood swings. We have this incredible puppet that’s amazing. You forget that it’s a robot when you’re around it. There are so many people operating her and she can do so much that I swear you can see emotions. You can see her thinking. When this real dinosaur is in front of me, I can become present in that second. But then, on other days, when it gets too complicated, we have to do CG, and then I’m acting with absolutely nothing. It goes from this incredible living, breathing puppet that I’m vibing with to a wall that is supposed to be a running around dinosaur.
How hard has it been to keep all of this a secret from your friends and family?
ACOSTA: There are so many photos that I have on my cell phone that say, “Do not post until this show comes out!” I get constant reminders from Marvel about not posting or saying anything. I feel like I’m a secret agent. Even to get into my email, I feel like I have to get a retina scan just to see the script. It’s so secretive. But once it comes out, it will have been worth it.
BARER: It’s like actually being a superhero and having a double life.
Marvel’s Runaways is available to stream at Hulu on November 21st.
