14
TheShe-Hulkstar reflects on her teen style, early acting days, and more.
When shes She-Hulk, there’s more of a command of that part of her identity, Maslany says.
Take me back to 1999 when you were 14.
How were you feeling about your life then?
I was about to start a TV show for the first time.
So at 14, were you already imagining this as your future?
I don’t think I had any sense of the future at that time.
It was more like a cool experience.
I knew I loved acting.
I knew it gave me something.
And I got feedback from people about it.
There was a sense of like, You’re good at this.
As a kid, you’re like, Okay, I’m going to do more of that.
That feedback is very energizing.
What made you want to hulk out at 14?
I was very emotional as a kid.
But yeah, you’re prepubescent; you’re going through all of it.
Your body’s changing, and for me, it didn’t change for like 10 more years.
I was 4-foot nothing for most of my life.
But I would hulk out at the simplest little things, like not getting a Tamagotchi.
Did you ever get one?
I did, probably because I had such a temper tantrum about it.
The Tamagotchi was green with yellow cracks.
Jennifer has to come to terms with this big physical transformation, in some ways similar to 14-year-olds.
Did you feel comfortable in your own skin at the time?
I think I did.
It was so much about how I dressed.
I didn’t want to be seen as girly.
So I presented very masculine and I really wanted to be seen as such.
What was your style like?
Id shop in the boys section at this highly discounted clothing store.
You could buy a pair of pants for $8.
I co-opted skater culture, and I would carry around a skateboard without actually being able to skate.
And I had this little hat from a flea market or something.
I’ve never seen anybody wear something like that.
But it was like a gingham chef’s hat.
I remember going to a restaurant, and the waiter was like, That’s awesome.
Where’s that from?
Do you still have the hat?
I haven’t thought of that hat for like 20 years!
Were there any celebrities you had crushes on?
Sporty Spice was the big crush.
I don’t remember exactly when the Spice Girls movie came out, but I was obsessed with her.
I wanted to date herandbe her.
What couldn’t you live without at 14?
I wrote in a diary every day and every night.
I have like 200 diaries that I’ve written since I was a kid.
But at that time, I remember being very obsessed with constantly documenting but also working through things.
Do you keep all of your diaries?
Oh, yeah, which is crazy because I don’t know what I’ll ever use them for.
It’s very transportive.
Do you find that it helps your craft?
When I was working on that character, it was more physical stuff.
What would your 14-year-old self think of She-Hulk?
I think she’d be so excited by her.
She’d probably also be like, Why isn’t she more muscular?
Was that something you wanted to see more of inShe-Hulk?
Is there any advice you would give your 14-year-old self now?
Then at 14, I could be like, Oh, cool.
I make OK choices, or, I’m not totally lost.
Seeing where all of that work has come to is pretty cool.
This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
This article was originally published onAug.
