It’s not often – at least in Australian entertainment media – that you see “two brown chicks with Aussie accents” sitting down for an interview. But that’s exactly what happened when I interviewed Geraldine Viswanathan last week (and yes, those were the actual words I used to describe us during our Zoom chat… she agreed, by the way). 

But putting my personal sentiments about South Asian representation aside (and we’ll circle back to this later), it was a big week for the Australian actor as she promoted her new movie, Thunderbolts*.

Playing Mel – the onscreen assistant to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character – Geraldine not only steps into a role that challenges and inspires her as an actor, but one that makes her the latest Australian woman to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The highly-anticipated Thunderbolts* follows the journey of an unconventional team of antiheroes who embark on a dangerous mission together after being caught in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Geraldine’s character, Mel just happens to be the assistant to Valentina, and audiences quickly see the internal battle Mel faces as her loyalty and moral conscience are put to the test. 

“It’s kind of this coming of age moment as you enter adulthood,” Geraldine tells Draw Your Box. “I just identified with her a lot when I read it on the page, and thought it was an interesting dynamic and interesting journey to watch play out.” 

Listen to our podcast interview with Geraldine Viswanathan below:

From starring in Blockers with John Cena, Miracle Workers with Daniel Radcliffe, and more recently, the rom-com, You’re Cordially Invited, with Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon, Geraldine has not only shown her versatility and acted alongside A-listers – she has become a star in her own right. Joining the Marvel Universe is testament to that, but it’s been quite the journey to get there.

With a father of Indian descent, and a mother from Switzerland, Geraldine grew up in Newcastle – a two-hour drive from Sydney. She loved comedy and acting, a passion that grew stronger after doing an acting workshop in Los Angeles when she was a teen. But Geraldine soon learned that the Australian entertainment industry wasn’t quite ready for someone who looked like her. In 2011, she auditioned for a role on Neighbours when it was announced that an Indian family was coming to Ramsay Street. She didn’t get the role, and the rejections didn’t end there. In a recent interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Geraldine reflected on this time, saying, “I was told that I can’t play Australian… Like, in audition rooms, they’d tell me ‘Well, you can’t play Australian.’ I’d be like, Why not?’”

In her interview with Draw Your Box, Geraldine speaks more about her decision to eventually move from Australia to the US for greater career opportunities – a move many other culturally diverse Australian actors have done in the past (such as Chris Pang from Crazy Rich Asians or Five Blind Dates star Shuang Hu).

“When I came to the States… it felt like there was more opportunity,” she says, explaining there’s “just less questions asked” about why she can or can’t play a role.

“Like, why can’t I play Will Ferrell’s daughter, or, like, John Cena’s daughter?” she continues. “It just felt like it was not a hindrance, and it felt like it would be more interesting to kind of make those sort of creative choices in casting. I think we’ve come a long way. And it’s nice that we’re in this place now where it feels like anything is possible.” 

Speaking of greater possibilities, the significance of Geraldine’s Thunderbolts* gig mustn’t be underestimated. Her career trajectory is an example of how South Asian representation is gradually improving in Hollywood, and that includes Marvel.

In 2021, Kumail Nanjiani starred in the Marvel film, Eternals. A year later, Iman Vellani made headlines when she played Kamala Khan, Marvel’s first Muslim superhero and the lead protagonist of six-part series, Ms. Marvel. 

“I feel really fortunate to be in the industry in this time,” she says. “I think it’s our time, and we’re here, and it’s nice that it feels like a kind of clear road,” she continues.

“Anything is possible, we’re in the Marvel Universe! And it’s exciting that there’s endless possibilities for us as well. So, it’s really not lost on me how exciting it is, and I feel really honored.”

We know this isn’t the last we’ll see of Geraldine, and she hints it’s only the start of a new era for more South Asian representation in this space.

“The night is young. We’ve got more to do.” 

Thunderbolts*, which also stars Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour,  Hannah John-Kamen, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Chris Bauer, Wendell Edward Pierce and more, is in cinemas now.

Top image source: Getty Images for Disney (Supplied to Draw Your Box by Disney)