Julia Garner isn’t exactly losing sleep over the backlash surrounding her casting as the Silver Surfer in Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. On the red carpet in London, she shrugged off the noise, simply saying, “I’m just going to do my job.”
Julia Garne claps back at haters
For those grumbling about the Silver Surfer “supposed to be a guy,” Garner made it clear—she’s playing Shalla-Bal, a version of the character who’s always been female in the comics. “It’s Shalla-Bal, so it’s different,” she pointed out.
As for the trailer, Garner said she was relieved to see a positive response. “I was just happy people are resonating with it, like any other project. I’m grateful to be here, honestly.”
Her performance even sparked a TikTok trend, which she found out about secondhand since she doesn’t use the app. “My friends were sending me all these TikToks, and I couldn’t even open them. I’m just happy people are liking it,” she said.
Was Silver Surfer always a male character?
In an earlier interview, Garner admitted she was initially confused about the role, thinking the Silver Surfer was always male. But after talking to director Matt Shakman, she understood she’d be playing Shalla-Bal and was eager to take on the part.
Garner also teased that her character’s loyalties in the film aren’t black and white. As the herald of Galactus, she’s a bit of a mystery—her true intentions and allegiance aren’t clear at first. “There’s this sense of ambiguous energy about her. Is she good? Is she just following orders?” Garner explained, adding that the audience will have to watch as the layers of the character are revealed.
Asked about possibly returning for a spinoff, Garner didn’t hesitate. “A hundred percent, I would love to do that. The Silver Surfer is such a cool character, and it’s rare to get a sense of mystery like this these days. I’d love to see more.”
