On Thunderbolts she felt like she’d stumbled into a fantastical wonderland: “My first day didn’t feel real. I felt this extra pressure of, ‘Know your lines, babe. You can’t really play around like you usually do.’ ” The blockbuster features MCU stalwarts like Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan as well as Viswanathan, who was cast after her friend Ayo Edebiri dropped out. “It was fully good vibes,” Viswanathan says of the baton passing. “Ayo has the world at her feet and was like, ‘Go hang out with Julia Louis-Dreyfus.’ To have her blessing felt great.” Edebiri also helped in a more practical way: “They don’t show you the script until you sign on, so it was really helpful to talk to someone who knew what the goal was.”
Joining a Marvel project, of course, tends to invite scrutiny from all sides. “I am sort of bracing myself,” says Viswanathan. “If it’s overwhelming, I’ll log off. But I like discourse around pop culture.” And she suspects Thunderbolts won’t feel like a typical superhero story: “It felt a little bit edgier and fresher, more existential and dark.”
Which is very much her own vibe. “I’ve been really inspired by Sandra Hüller,” Viswanathan says. “Anatomy of a Fall—that role is a dream. The Worst Person in the World is the movie I’ve felt the most seen by, ever.” She also finds herself guided by a very different kind of star: Jim Carrey, whose motivational speeches can be found on YouTube. “He’s so universe-expanding,” Viswanathan says. “Anyone that reminds me, ‘Hey, we are specks of dust on a floating rock, do whatever you want,’ I’m drawn to. It informs a lot of what I do. The background on my phone is a photo from the Hubble Space Telescope. When I go on an audition or have to pop off in a scene, that’s what helps me.”
HAIR, AMBER DUARTE; MAKEUP, TAMAH; MANICURE, SREYNIN PENG; TAILOR, IRINA TSHARTARYAN. PRODUCED ON LOCATION BY PREISS CREATIVE. FOR DETAILS, GO TO VF.COM/CREDITS.