Back in May, rumors circulated in the trades that Academy Award-winning actress Tilda Swinton was up for the part of the Ancient One in Marvel’s Doctor Strange. Though unconfirmed at the time, it seemed a rather odd choice, being that the character in the comics is a male Tibetan monk. Yet Marvel president and super-producer Kevin Feige later called the role more of a ‘mantle,’ leading many to suggest that the rumors might actually be true. Welp, Swinton just confirmed her role in the film in an interview with ScreenCrush. And not just in the “Yes, I’m in the movie” kind of way, but in the “So this is who I’m playing” sort of way:
Is your Doctor Strange deal done, or are you still in talks with Marvel?
No no no, it’s done. We’re so far in talks that we’re not talking any more [laughs]. It’s done. The conversation has been had.
What was it specifically about Doctor Strange that intrigued you?
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!
Besides the obvious, how will your portrayal of The Ancient One differ from what we might be used to?
You know, I don’t know yet. I haven’t quite figured it out. I will let you know when I know. It’s a bit of an adventure to figure out how to finesse this. But it’s exciting.
So Swinton is officially on board to play the mentor of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange, who goes on to adopt the mantle of the Sorcerer Supreme in the comics and — presumably — the film. (Via ScreenCrush)
