‘Fantastic Four’ Star Julia Garner Says She’s ‘Gonna Still Do My Job’ Amid Backlash to Silver Surfer Genderswap

Julia Garner doesn’t care what people think about her playing Silver Surfer in “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”

While speaking to BBC at the film’s London premiere, Garner was asked about the initial response from some fans who thought a man should play the Silver Surfer. The “Wolf Man” star said she didn’t pay much mind to the discourse and focused on delivering her best version of the character.

“I said, ‘I’m just going to still do my job,'” she said of the backlash. She also noted that she plays a variation on the character, adding, “Also, it’s Shalla-Bal, so it’s different.”

Shalla-Bal, first seen in “The Silver Surfer” #1 in 1968, is the female counterpart to Norrin Radd, who was featured in 2007’s “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.” In that film, the humanoid alien was played by Doug Jones and voiced by Laurence Fishburne.

As the BBC notes, after the first “Fantastic Four” trailer debuted, the response to Garner’s Surfer was overwhelmingly positive. Garner said she was excited to see the hype from fans.

“I was just happy that people are resonating with it, just like any other project,” Garner added. “I’m grateful to be at this dance, to be completely honest with you.”

Other cast members include Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic; Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman; Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch; and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm, aka the Thing. Ralph Ineson plays Galactus, while Paul Walter Hauser, Natasha Lyonne and John Malkovich round out the cast.