Joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe is something that any actor needs to be ready for. There’s a decent chance that taking a role in the MCU will mean a long-term commitment to reprising that role in movies and Disney+ series. Paul Rudd understands what it all means, so when Kathryn Newton joined the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania cast, he had some strong advice for the young actress. “Don’t hold back.”
Kathryn Newton recently spoke with People about her appearance in the last Ant-Man movie. She said that her co-star advised her to give the role her all, and so she tried to do that, believing that it’s good advice in most situations. Newton said…
Paul Rudd told me not to hold back when I started Ant-Man. I think that's just good advice for anybody with whatever you do in life, whatever your job might be. Put your best foot forward every day and don't hold back.
Superhero movies are inherently larger than life, but some actors might be afraid of going “too far” in an environment like that and try to be more reserved. Paul Rudd’s advice wasn’t just a generic platitude. It potentially was very useful for Kathryn Newton to understand that she was free to treat the role like the comic book the characters come from. Just go for it all. One assumes the advice is also used when Kathryn Newton plays golf.
And Kathryn Newton is likely to have more opportunities to “go for it” going forward. The Marvels ending teased a new team of young Avengers, being put together by Kamala Kahn, and the fact that “Ant-Man has a daughter” was dropped into the conversation. While no movie with this cast has been officially announced, it’s clear that the idea is at least one that Marvel is playing with, and it feels like something we will probably see.
Several of the recent Marvel series and movies have introduced new, frequently younger, characters taking on roles held by the previous generation of Avengers. There are two Avengers movies currently scheduled, though exactly who will appear in them is far from clear.
When asked by People about a future appearance in the MCU, Newton simply said that she couldn’t talk about it. That’s a bit different from her comments on Young Avengers that she made a couple of weeks ago, where she indicated not knowing any future plans for herself. It now sounds like maybe she might know what the future holds, though, of course, she can’t talk about it.
The current schedule of upcoming Marvel movies doesn’t list any currently untitled projects until early 2026, so if ever get a dedicated Young Avengers movie, it may be a while, but things are always changing in the MCU. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
