Actor Benedict Wong became a real-life hero during an interview alongside his Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness co-star Xochitl [SOH-chee] Gomez.
Gomez plays America Chavez in the film, a teen who has the ability to travel across dimensions and who, the film presents, has two moms. That LGBTQ nod was enough to get the movie banned from Saudi Arabia, China and other countries.
“It’s a big deal that America is in this movie. It’s just huge,” she tells Asia One. “And I’m just so happy that Marvel has stuck to it and kept the scene in there.” She added, “…Although, yes, my name may be circled within hate and stuff but it’s okay.”
Wong, a British national born of Hong Kong immigrants, responded, “It’s not okay. It’s not okay. We have to all collectively understand that.”
Thea actor, who plays the sorcerer also named Wong in the film, said of Gomez, “She auditioned aged 13 and she joined us aged 14, one of the youngest actors to join the MCU of a film of that magnitude. You know, she’s just a young girl playing her role and full praise for that.”
He went on: “There’s a real level of shame for all those trolls that are cowards not to actually put their face [out there], and they should feel a deep shame of what they’re doing.”
Wong added, “Let’s all just play nice. Let’s all just enjoy what we are representing. It’s sad that fans in that country won’t get to see this. But all we are doing is radiating representation, voicing the voiceless. And that’s all that we can do — represent people so that they can be seen.”
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opens Friday from Marvel Studios, which is owned by Disney, parent company of ABC News.
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