One of the most genuine pleasures about Olivia Colman is that, beneath the steely gaze of Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix's runaway success, The Crown, you will find an exceptionally silly and lighthearted human being who - while on screen - is capable of breaking your heart, terrifying you, and lighting up a room in the same moment. To have a star of such depth and grandeur join the Marvel Cinematic Universe seems like a real coup for the comic book franchise.
And yet, it's Colman who genuinely seems the most thrilled to be part of the ever-expanding world of Marvel as she takes on the role of Sonya Falsworth, a high-ranking MI6 agent who is effectively the British equivalent of Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury, and one of the most exciting prospects of the upcoming Secret Invasion is seeing the two on-screen together.
The chance to work with Jackson was a crucial factor in taking the job, and even The Queen can get starstruck. For her part, Colman has been angling to join the MCU for years - although, while speaking with Empire Magazine to promote the series, she did admit to a modicum of disappointment that she didn't encounter any gamma rays or radioactive spiders as part of the gig.
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"Fury and Sonya are old friends, although I think his office is cooler. I mean, it's in space! Working with Sam though, I loved him! Loudest man you've ever met. Joyful, funny, naughty. He said he thought my trainers were 'dope'. Didn't take them off for a year. I kept asking if I could be bitten by something, or fall into a vat of something. They were having none of it."
Jackson was equally thrilled to be working with the iconic British actress. Although she carries with her a vast array of acting awards, including an Academy Award for Best Actress for portraying Queen Anne in The Favourite, and a Primetime Emmy Award for The Crown, Jackson had been a fan of her since his wife had gotten him hooked on ITV's stunning crime drama Broadchurch, in which she starred alongside David Tennant.
"I thought, 'How lucky can I be to know that today is finally going to be the day I get to act with Olivia Colman?' said Jackson. "The next thing vou know, we were having the most fun you could ever have, sitting there pretending to be these two people that have had a long relationship seeing each other again for the first time in years."
Secret Invasion is currently slated to premiere on June 21 on Disney+ and will include six episodes. Check out the trailer for the upcoming series below: