by Thanks to actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s hair in the MCU is a different shade from what it was in the books.
The Falcon and the Winter Solider served as Valentina’s introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). She sought to enlist John Walker, who will later play for the Thunderbolts squad, in the television series.
When the same-titled movie’s July 26, 2024, release date approaches, Yelena Belova, who is portrayed by Florence Pugh in Black Widow, will also be joining the Thunderbolts, will be recruited by Val.
Val hasn’t been around for that long, but even so, her influence on the MCU has been both mysterious and profound. Louis-Dreyfus lately made some personal contributions to the character’s development, particularly in terms of how she looks.
Val’s hair colour was altered by Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus recently spoke with Variety about her elusive MCU character, La Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. The character, who made cameos in a number of MCU films, is slated to play in the next Thunderbolts movie with A-list performers Florence Pugh, Harrison Ford, and David Harbour.
On the left side of her head, Val has a purple-dyed stripe of hair in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This is a tiny deviation from the comics, when Julia Louis-Dreyfus recommended changing her streak’s colour to white:
“I did this to see if I can get some respect from these people in my family. I thought purple would make it a little more of this world today. And I didn’t want her to look too much like Cruella.”
Louis-Dreyfus also spoke about how she met co-president Louis D’Esposito and president and chief content officer of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige in order to secure her part in the MCU.
Louis-Dreyfus remembered telling the executives, “If anything comes up, let me know,” after the meeting. Shortly after, she received a call for the Valentina job.
Additionally, the actress disclosed that she had some additional wishes for the role. Louis-Dreyfus claimed that she “pitched” the notion of Val having some combat sequences in Thunderbolts. The actress “(hasn’t) seen the script yet,” so she is unsure if she will be permitted to.
“I pitched it; I told them I really want to fight. I haven’t seen the script yet — we’ll see if that happens.”
Louis-Dreyfus doesn’t appear very thrilled with the prospect of going through months of physical training if her desires were to come true:
“Ugh. I guess I’d better get in shape.”
Marvel Studios Gives Actors Creative Contro
In most cases, especially when it comes to the MCU, actors don’t compose the screenplays for the films they star in. The film’s producers and filmmakers do appear to offer the actors who play these roles considerable creative freedom.
Although changing Val’s hair colour isn’t a significant change, it does demonstrate that Marvel Studios is open to performers giving their characters their own unique take. It also demonstrates that the executives are receptive to recommendations and don’t strive to retain complete creative control over these initiatives.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ remarks further demonstrate how committed she is to the role of Valentina. The MCU is a hugely lucrative series that consistently makes a tonne of money with each new instalment. Because of this and the MCU’s immense popularity, some actresses would go for a job just for the money and the notoriety it brings, but Louis-Dreyfus seemed to be thrilled with the chance she’s been given.
Anything is feasible, even her dream to battle in Thunderbolts at some time. She already persuaded Marvel Studios to modify the colour of her hair, so maybe she’ll also get to throw some punches.
The movie Thunderbolts will be released on July 26, 2024.
