Tilda Swinton has had some interesting roles throughout her career. From ‘The Beach’ to ‘Vanilla Sky’ to ‘Michael Clayton’ to ‘Snowpiercer’ to ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ series and much more, the award-winning actress certainly isn’t afraid to explore new creative avenues by taking on unique projects. And this weekend, she does it again in Amy Schumer’s ‘Trainwreck’ as a hilariously heartless scene-stealing magazine editor with no filter. But after that, Swinton is set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe when she plays the Ancient One in Scott Derrickson’s ‘Doctor Strange’. And now we get a little insight as to why she’s decided to join the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and possibly Rachel McAdams in the Sorcerer Supreme’s theatrical debut.
While speaking to ScreenCrush about her part in Judd Apatow’s latest comedy, Swinton confirmed that she had signed on to play the mystical mentor of Stephen Strange and Baron Mordo that is traditionally portrayed by an older Tibetan male in the comics. The surprisingly diverse casting aside, this would be a juicy role for any actor or actress regardless of their resume. So what drew someone such as Swinton who usually avoids larger franchises to the Phase Three film? The answer is a pretty simple one:
“Well, there’s no particular interest in getting into something bigger, or even smaller, I just really liked the premise of this and the idea of playing this character. I’m a Marvel fan and I think this particular world that Doctor Strange goes into is really, really, really exciting. I’m really interested as both an actor and a fan to see what’s done in this particular world. It’s all about creativity. It’s not about everything exploding at the end. It’s about something very different. The idea of playing The Ancient One is really just too tickling. I can’t say no to that!”
Swinton then went on to say that she’s not sure about the differences between her portrayal of the Ancient One and the one from the comics just yet, but she’s excited to figure it all out. She is also fully prepared to jump into the MCU, which she describes as “holding on to the tail of a galloping horse at this point” because she’s not sure whether she’ll pop up in other movies in addition to ‘Doctor Strange’ or if other members of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes could appear alongside her and her cast.
What do you think about Tilda Swinton playing the Ancient One in ‘Doctor Strange’? Are you excited to see the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the character portrayed by such a talented actress? Sound off in the comments below.
‘Doctor Strange’ materializes in theaters on this plane on November 4, 2016.