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‘She-Hulk’ Star Jameela Jamil Reprised Her Villain Role for a Recent Night Out in New York City
She-Hulk star Jameela Jamil recently dressed as Tatiana for a night out in New York City.

‘She-Hulk’ Star Jameela Jamil Reprised Her Villain Role for a Recent Night Out in New York City

Jameela JamilAxelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

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[This story contains spoilers for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode five, “Mean, Green, and Straight Poured into These Jeans.”]

On Tuesday night, Jameela Jamil reprised her villainous She-Hulk character, Titania, ahead of her return to the series in episode five, “Mean, Green, and Straight Poured into These Jeans.” This isn’t the first time the British actor went method to promote the show, as she previously spray painted the name Titania across Sunset Boulevard’s array of She-Hulk posters. Jamil’s latest exploits began with showing up in character at Kourtney Kardashian’s Boohoo fashion show and somehow ended up with her at Times Square’s McDonald’s.

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“I took it quite far. … I went to the L’Officiel party. I partied with Dixie D’Amelio. I went to Times Square, and I got on the big, iconic red staircase and posed up a storm. I went to McDonald’s, all in this couture,” Jamil tells The Hollywood Reporter. “The reason I like doing these things is because I’m sick of hearing about all these great actors who method act for a year before the project. What about the actors who method act a year after the project? That’s the real deal. I’m kidding.”

Jamil also previews what’s to come for Titania as her feud with Tatiana Maslany’s She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters is far from over.

“Oh, Titania is just like COVID. There’s just always a new variant of her bad mood that keeps coming back. She’s never done. She never knows when to call it a day, and so she will be back. She’s just the thorn in Jennifer Walter’s side — a fabulous, glittering, diamond-encrusted thorn,” Jamil says.

In a recent conversation with THR, Jamil also explains why she’s said no to Marvel auditions in the past.

So in the spirit of Titania calling her fans Titaniacs, have you named your own fans Jamillionaires?

(Laughs.) Oh my God, no. That would be so awful. No, I haven’t, and I won’t. I shan’t. I’m English.

Well, I won’t trademark the name like Titania did to Jen.

You snooze, you lose, Jennifer.

Jameela Jamil as Titania in Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.Courtesy of Chuck Zlotnick/Marvel

So why did you say no to Marvel auditions in the past?

Just because I’m very clumsy. I have a very embarrassing run, and I would describe myself as a puddle with bosoms. So that’s probably the general gist of why I didn’t think they would want me, and I didn’t bother setting myself up for that rejection. But it turned out they did [want me]. They tricked me into taking this role, and I’m so glad because [director] Kat Coiro saw something in me that I couldn’t see in myself. She was so relentless about me auditioning, and this role has now changed my life. Titania is and has always been my favorite Marvel character, and so I’m pretty blown away at the moment. I don’t really know what’s going on.

When you were coming up, did you ever remotely envision yourself playing a superhero or supervillain?

Definitely not. No way. I was a little Indian Pakistani kid, and there weren’t people who looked like me playing superheroes in the comic books or on the screen. We weren’t even playing love interests; we weren’t really there. We were just being mocked by white people pretending to be us based on stereotypes. So I never could have imagined that this would happen now. I wish I could get in a time machine and go back to tell my little self that one day, representation would be there and it would be her.

So who had the brilliant idea to have you appear in character at a fashion show?

(Laughs.) That was me. I took it quite far. I turned up at [Kourtney] Kardashian’s [Boohoo] fashion show. I went to the L’Officiel party. I partied with Dixie D’Amelio. I went to Times Square, and I got on the big, iconic red staircase and posed up a storm. I went to McDonald’s, all in this couture. (Laughs.) So it was one of the more ridiculous things I’ve done other than spray painting the word Titania across all the She-Hulk posters on Sunset Boulevard. The reason I like doing these things is because I’m sick of hearing about all these great actors who method act for a year before the project. What about the actors who method act a year after the project? That’s the real deal. (Laughs.) I’m kidding.

What can you say about the origin of Titania’s powers in the MCU? Because I know that she was enhanced by Dr. Doom in the comics.

Well, she got them from Dr. Doom in the version that I know. She was just desperate to have superpowers. I don’t think Titania has ever been truly evil. I don’t think she’s like a Thanos. I think she’s someone who just wanted to be famous and powerful and respected because she wasn’t when she was a kid. And so we don’t get to tell that backstory on this show, because this is [head writer] Jessica Gao’s very 2022 L.A. iteration of Titania that I also love. But I was able to use a bit of that just to show that it’s insecurity that’s driving every one of Titania’s actions. She’s just so hungry for attention in a way that’s kind of insatiable, but it’s also very, very key to playing a super influencer, a lot of whom are villains.

It sounds like Titania isn’t done with her She-Hulk feud just yet. What can you tease?

Oh, Titania is just like COVID. There’s just always a new variant of her bad mood that keeps coming back. She’s never done. Throughout the comic, she’s never done. She never knows when to call it a day, and so she will be back. I’m not going to say what she does, but she’s just the thorn in Jennifer Walter’s side — a fabulous, glittering, diamond-encrusted thorn.

How involved were you in Titania’s photo ending up on Ms. Marvel? Did they have to clear it with you first? 

They don’t have to ask for any permission. I had no idea until it aired. I found out from the fans who probably spotted my fringe. It was hard to make out, but they spotted my image. So I found out from the Marvel fans and their eagle eyes. 

Jameela Jamil as Titania in Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.Courtesy of Chuck Zlotnick/Marvel

From her costumes to her hair and makeup, Titania certainly has some bold looks on She-Hulk. Was each look already at eleven when first presented to you?

They wanted to go for eleven just generally in her style and everything about her. We wanted to represent this kind of gaudy character from the comics, but just updated, so it feels current and present and now. Everything about Titania is too much. Her hair is so big and her outfits are so extra. She’s just desperate to be noticed all the time. She wants to suck up all the oxygen in the room, and so we did that with every single inch of my body possible.

And it was also important to me that she looked very fake in every way. So I had big butt pads on, to make it look like she’d had bum injections. I’d done all my own makeup to make it look like I’d had plastic surgery, with overlining my lips and chiseling down my nose and overdoing my cheekbones. I wanted everything of hers to be the exact opposite of Jennifer Walters, who’s very kind of pure and very natural and very real. Titania had to scream insecurity and yet feign complete confidence.

She-Hulk is now airing on Disney+. This interview was edited for length and clarity.