By Jackie Shannon
“It’s just fantastic to be part of The Marvel Cinematic Universe, in which, if I’m thinking right, I play one of the first Asian characters,” says British actor, Benedict Wong. “So, I was absolutely elated to get the role. It’s been on my bucket list to be in a Marvel film.” Though there have been Asian characters threaded throughout The Marvel Cinematic Universe before (Kenneth Choi in Captain America: The First Avenger; and Tadanobu Asano in the Thor films; not to mention Ming-Na Wen on TV’s Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D), they’re hardly prevalent, and none have carried the big screen weight of Benedict Wong in the upcoming Doctor Strange. “Growing up, I was always mad into Spider-Man comics, and I was always collecting,” explains the actor of his “bucket list” casting. “I own a numbered copy of Web Of Spider-Man, which is in a vault somewhere. I’ll be cashing in on that at some point. Doctor Strange, however, was one comic character that I wasn’t that aware of when I was first approached about the film. But doing my research and then seeing that there was a character called Wong, there was a natural calling that I had to do this for my ancestors. So, it’s brilliant. It’s exciting to embrace this new world and introduce it now to audiences.”
Directed by horror specialist, Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism Of Emily Rose, Deliver Us From Evil, Sinister), Doctor Strange is the story of world-famous neurosurgeon, Dr. Stephen Strange, whose life changes forever after a horrific car accident robs him of the use of his hands. When traditional medicine fails him, he is forced to look for healing, and hope, in an unlikely place – a mysterious enclave known as Kamar-Taj. He quickly learns that this is not just a centre for healing, but also the frontline of a battle against unseen dark forces bent on destroying our reality. Before long, Strange – armed with newly acquired magical powers – is forced to choose whether to return to his life of fortune and status, or leave it all behind to defend the world as the most powerful sorcerer in existence.
Along with Tilda Swinton’s The Ancient One, Wong is one of the key figures in Stephen Strange’s journey to become The Sorcerer Supreme. “Wong is a fellow sorcerer with the Kamar-Taj,” Benedict Wong explains. “He’s involved in the training of young disciples and gearing them up and getting them ready to protect against extra-dimensional forces. Very little is known of Wong in the beginning, but he slowly unfurls throughout the film. Wong is very serious about his job. He is the keeper and protector of the library of mystical books in Kamar-Taj. He is otherworldly wise and has seen everything before. Wong is stoic and loyal, and he’s forever watching. He comes from a long lineage of that. You’ll see Wong overseeing the training of all the disciples. We had about 50 or 60 people all doing martial arts movements in unison. It’s going to look great.”
And while the film’s director, Scott Derrickson, might seem an unconventional fit for the film (as do most of Marvel’s filmmaker choices), considering his blood-drenched pedigree, Wong is quick to sing his praises. “Scott’s great,” says the actor, who has appeared frequently on film (The Martian, Prometheus, Moon, Kick-Ass 2, Sunshine, On A Clear Day) and TV (State Of Play, Marco Polo, The Peter Serafinowicz Show). “He’s very hands on, and has real attention to detail. He’s overseeing the whole universe and doing a fantastic job. It’s great. Your suspension of disbelief is gone. You walk on set, and the attention to detail in this world is amazing. It’s just like you’ve stepped into Nepal, and you’re there training with everybody. You are transported. I’m just really looking forward to when we sit down and see the movie in its entirety. Just seeing the spectacle and what Marvel did with the incredible effects and the work of all the craftsmen…it’s going to be an experience.”
Doctor Strange is released in cinemas on October 27.
