Vanessa Kirby is proudly embracing her inner Marvel nerd — especially when it comes to her role as Sue Storm.
The 37-year-old British actress stars as the iconic Invisible Woman in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, joining a powerhouse cast that includes Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. And she’s not just playing the role — she’s living it.
“I’m such a Sue nerd,” Kirby told Variety. “There was something so allegorical about her. She was called Invisible Girl. Then Psycho-Man comes and disrupts everything, and she has a meeting with her own dark side in Malice… She transforms from a girl to a woman.”
‘I’m Dying to Do Malice’
Kirby is especially drawn to the darker layers of Sue’s story — specifically her Malice alter ego.
“I’m dying to do Malice,” she said, referring to the storyline where Sue’s repressed emotions manifest as a vengeful villain. “There’s something about meeting the hardest parts of yourself in Malice that felt extremely poignant to me.”
Sue’s complex backstory — from childhood trauma to becoming a maternal figure to her brother Johnny — is what gives the character emotional weight, and Kirby is eager to bring all of it to the surface.
“She lost her mother in a car crash. Her dad spiraled, became an alcoholic, ended up in prison, and died. Sue had to become a mother to Johnny. They were orphans. They had to fight for themselves.”
Despite the darkness in Sue’s origin, Kirby is inspired by her character’s strength and compassion.
“She chose to keep her heart open and stay warm. The Future Foundation, for me, wasn’t a noble political act — it was Sue’s nature.”
Why Kirby Embraces the Hard Stuff
Known for diving into complex and emotionally demanding roles, the Crown and Pieces of a Womanstar says she actively looks for projects that push her boundaries.
“I love pushing past my limits,” Kirby explained. “When I read something and go, ‘Uh, I don’t know how I’m going to do this,’ then I know I should do it.”
And while film has brought her global acclaim, she still holds a deep affection for her theatrical roots.
“I always knew I wanted to act, but I didn’t know how to go about it,” she said. “My parents loved theatre — especially Shakespeare — and I grew up with that. Being on stage, telling stories together… it felt like a shared experience. I felt most connected and most alive.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps marks a new chapter in Kirby’s career — and if she gets her way, we may soon see her embrace the chaos and power of Malice on screen too.
