Wonder Man premieres this week on Disney+, based on the Marvel comic book superhero. We sat with creative consultant and actor Jean Elie to discuss what it was like working both in front of and behind the camera on this critically acclaimed show.
When talking about how supportive the environment was and how important it was to bring Haitian culture to Marvel Television, Jean Elie expressed what it meant to him.
“As a first-generation Haitian American kid, it’s a blessing to be able walk into these rooms and do the thing that I do. Because this opportunity is not really afforded for people like us all the time, and if I could be a beacon of hope for someone who’s dreaming in their room of doing this kind of work, let me serve that idea and let me show that it’s possible. And being able to, like, keep pushing that narrative of our culture forward, it will demystify what the Haitian culture is. It will change us from just being lumped in as just Black, but there’s also, like, different diasporas and different ethnicities within the Black culture that we can like highlight, that, I think, is pretty cool.”
Elie further went on to explain how it felt shifting roles on set from creative consultant to actor.
“Honestly, if I’m being real, I was more nervous about the acting than I was the consulting… because when you are acting, you’re like, you’re bearing it… you’re kind of just like leaving yourself exposed to critiques, to am I playing properly, am I interacting well, am I present…just so much that comes with. But it also makes you feel so alive that it’s the best experience or feeling ever. On top of the fact that I’m acting opposite Yahya who I admire, and Ben who I admire, and I’m in the Marvel Cinematic Universe… so I was more nervous about that work than the consulting, the dialect, and working with the different departments to like get them to where they need to be at for the series. But I had so much fun.”
For the full interview, tune in below.
Wonder Man can be streamed on Disney+ beginning January 27 at 6pmPST.
