Vanessa Kirby Reveals Surprising Way She Landed the Role of Sue Storm
Vanessa Kirby recently appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz, where she opened up about joining the Marvel universe, what it’s been like playing Sue Storm, and working alongside some huge names, all while being pregnant.
According to Kirby, she never had to audition for the role of Sue Storm in Fantastic Four: First Steps. The part was offered to her directly after a meeting with the film’s director, Matt Shakman. “Yeah. I met Matt Shakman. We had an awesome lunch and we talked a lot about the comics, particularly the early ’60s, which was really a wonderful thing to be asked to go and do. To go back to the ’60s and ’70s and all the decades of this sort of legacy of this form of entertainment that was kind of counterculture and super meaningful to people every week. So we had a really deep discussion about that, and then I met Kevin and Louis at Marvel. Then the next day they asked me to do it. So no, there was no audition.”
She also said she’s more than ready to stick around for the long haul. Playing Sue Storm is something she’s clearly excited about. Kirby shared that she’s totally fine committing to Marvel for the next 10 years because she really loves the character.
Right now, she’s still filming scenes for Avengers: Doomsday, where she returns as Sue. “I’m loving it. Absolutely loving it. It’s been a complete privilege and they’ve been amazing, you know, and as you know, I’m pregnant, and it’s been the coolest thing to be shooting an Avengers movie while pregnant and they’ve been utterly amazing — the Russos and Kevin and the whole team.”
She also had high praise for Robert Downey Jr., who is making his big MCU return as Doctor Doom in the upcoming Avengers movie. “I mean, this guy — beyond, beyond. He’s the most incredible human being. Soulful, deep, kind. He’s been an amazing leader to us considering we’re the newbies, you know, and a lot of the others have known this world for a really long time. And he’s been a phenomenal leader and also just… he’s doing the most amazing work.”
Fantastic Four: First Steps is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and brings a retro-futuristic take on the superhero team. The movie is set in a 1960s-inspired world, and the story follows the team as they face off against Galactus, a cosmic being who threatens to destroy their planet. The cast includes Pedro Pascal, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Julia Garner, and more.
Directed by Matt Shakman, the movie kicked off Phase Six of the MCU and had its premiere at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles on July 21, 2025. It’s scheduled for release in the U.S. on July 25.
The film has received mostly positive reviews, and Marvel has already started working on a sequel.
With Kirby fully embracing the role and clearly enjoying every part of the experience, it looks like Sue Storm is in good hands.
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