Emma Corrin wanted to undergo a “huge physical transformation” for Deadpool & Wolverine but was told it wouldn’t be necessary.

The Crown actor, who uses they/them pronouns, expected to undergo a gruelling fitness schedule after being cast as villain Cassandra Nova in the Marvel movie but they soon discovered that it was not required.

“This is funny because I did ask if I could have a personal trainer and they said no,” Corrin said in a video for British GQ. “They said I don’t have to undergo any physical training. I was so ready to undergo a huge transformation but they were like, ‘That’s absolutely not required of you. Please stand down.’ I tried.”

Corrin explained that director Shawn Levy and Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds wanted Cassandra to be sinister in a charming way instead of being physically threatening. They all took inspiration from Christoph Waltz’s Nazi officer Hans Landa in Quentin Tarantino’s 2009 film Inglorious Basterds.

“He’s so disarmingly polite and nice and unaffected, and it’s really creepy,” the British star stated. “It’s all the more sinister because he doesn’t need to do anything.”

Corrin went on to recall how Levy and Reynolds pitched Cassandra’s character, saying, “We want this villain to not be a villain in the sense that you expect them to be. We want you to be so endeared by her, so charmed by her, and just when you think that maybe she’s totally seen into your soul and you are going to be best friends for life, you’re dead.'”

Deadpool & Wolverine will be released in cinemas on 25 July.

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