Moon Knight spoilers follow.
Marvel and Disney+ series Moon Knight has wrapped its first season with a final episode that featured a challenging moment for one of its stars.
In the finale, May Calamawy's Layla El-Faouly — an archaeologist and the wife of Oscar Isaac's character Marc Spector/Steven Grant — reluctantly agreed to be the avatar of the goddess Taweret, thus becoming a warrior known as Scarlet Scarab (Marvel's first Egyptian superhero onscreen).
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With Layla's body possessed by Taweret, Calamawy had to play both characters and clearly signal when the goddess would take over. While the final result was smooth and hilarious, the actress revealed she only learned about having to play both roles on set the day of filming.
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"You know, I found out that I had to do it 30 minutes before we did it," Calamawy told The Wrap.
"Because initially, Antonia Salib, who plays Taweret, was on set. She was going to be in the chamber with Layla. And then [director] Mohamed Diab comes to me in the trailer while I'm getting ready, and he's like, 'You know, I thought about it, and actually, she has to come through you.'
"And I really didn't know what that meant. I was like 'You want me to mimic, like, suddenly be possessed by Taweret?' And he's like, 'Yeah, cool,' and he leaves me."
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Having little time to prepare, Calamawy met with Salib to study her body language and facial expressions as Taweret, ultimately delivering an effective sequence.
"I had to just bring it. I didn't have time to think," Calamawy said.
"And I sometimes wonder what it would have been like had I had that time to sit with it but I just threw myself in, and it was probably the most freeing experience of the whole show for me."
Moon Knight is now streaming on Disney+.
Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
