No./10 She-Hulk is ready for her close-up
TATIANA MASLANY on stepping up as Marvel’s brainy, brawny new addition
TAKE AWAY THE green, six-foot-plus superhero at the heart of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law and you’re essentially left with a modern-day Ally McBeal. As Jennifer Walters, Tatiana Maslany plays a sharp but struggling lawyer whose courtroom shenanigans by day transition into a colourful dating life at night. When a near-fatal accident leads to a blood transfusion from her uncle — who, being Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), has his own set of problems — Jennifer becomes ultra-strong and, reluctantly, the centre of attention. Speaking to Empire, Maslany breaks down the process of going green in Marvel’s superhero workplace caper.
SCHOOLING UP
Ruffalo, who has played Hulk for over a decade and fills the role of Jennifer’s mentor in the show, was a reliable source of inspiration. “We were so goofy, like two kids who had been handed shovels by our parents and told to go and play in the sandbox,” says Maslany. She also devoured as many She-Hulk comics as possible, drawing on different artists’ iterations of the superhero for the comedy and hyper-awareness required. And she listened to music. “I always come back to Sophie, who’s this amazing trans artist who unfortunately died last year,” she says. “What I love about Sophie’s music is this combo of organic and electrical, industrialtype sounds that felt connected to She-Hulk.”