It had been years—five, to be specific—since the first rumblings of a third Deadpool movie. A global pandemic, a studio acquisition, and an industry strike later, Deadpool & Wolverine finally arrived in theaters in July 2024. Brianna Hildebrand, who’s played Negasonic Teenage Warhead since the franchise’s debut in 2016, was delighted but also surprised. “It had been so long,” she tells StyleCaster. “I’m just honored that I was asked to come back.”
It’s been a decade since she was first cast as an 18-year-old and the passage of time is a little crazy, Brianna admits. “It’s honestly kind of scary,” she says. “I don’t like to think about it too hard.” It comes with the territory a little, as the MCU tends to pluck performers out of relative obscurity and launch them into the fame stratosphere. For someone going through their formative late teens and early 20s, that can pose challenges, especially when, as Hildebrand did not, think this type of role would come along so early in her acting career.
“I’ve learned but I’m a very private person,” she explains. “When these movies come out, it’s a lot of attention, and people are excited, and they want to talk to me about it—people just in my personal life, too—so, it’s been interesting, I’ve had to find a balance of making time for myself and putting everyone else’s opinions aside.”
Luckily, Ryan Reynolds cultivated a supportive culture on set from the very beginning. “My first day on set, I was so nervous,” says Hildebrand of her debut. “I just didn’t know where to put my nervous energy, and Ryan pulled me aside and he said, ‘Everything’s going to be fine. You’re going to look great, and it’s going to be okay. Just take a deep breath, and it’s not as scary as you think it is.’ I remind myself of these things regularly now.”
Spoilers ahead for Deadpool & Wolverine.
There’s been so much buzz around this film and the cameos. How much did you know before seeing the film at the premiere?
I knew absolutely nothing. Honestly, it’s very smart of them because it’s hard to keep a secret, especially when so many interviewers are grilling you about spoilers and things. I would have had a hard time with that. They only sent me the pages for the scenes that my character was in. This time around, it was very locked down. I definitely understand why now having seen the movie.
Which cameo was your favorite?
I loved seeing Channing Tatum as Gambit. And I love Jennifer Garner as Elektra, I love Jennifer Garner in general.
I was totally excited about it and I’ve had so many young women, and also young boys, coming up to me and thanking me for playing a character that made them feel more comfortable or just inspiring them.
Brianna Hildebrand on playing a queer superhero
The scenes you’re in are rather short, but they’re important bookends to the film. What were those scenes like to film?
It was really nice. I had never experienced anything like that—most of my scenes are usually with two or three people at a time, so it was really nice to see so many people that I had known from the past movies all in the same room. Then to meet Hugh and to get to know everyone… Everyone was really happy and excited to be there. It was really sweet.
I’m always curious about dinner party scenes like that. Obviously, there’s a voiceover but you have to make it look like you’re actually having conversations. What do you talk about? Are there lines or is it nonsense?
As far as Shioli [Kutsunam who plays Yukio] and I, we were talking a lot. It was all just improv or just random conversations about random things. But it’s helpful, at least for me, to at least have a conversation that your character would have, because otherwise, it’s hard to take seriously. But yeah, a lot of improv and sipping on Sprite [laughs].
This movie establishes the X-Men in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What does that mean for you and your character?
That’s a very good question. Honestly, I’m just honored that I was invited back to this movie and it does feel sort of out of my hands at this point. I’m sure happens with Negasonic—even just her name, she’s Negasonic Teenage Warhead, but when is she no longer a teenager? There are a lot of questions that I have about my character as well. But I’m excited to see what happens with her in the future if anything.
This character has been groundbreaking for being the first openly—and I hesitate to use that word because we don’t use that qualifier about hetero people—queer superhero. What has that meant to you?
It’s been really amazing. I was honored that I was asked to consider that when Ryan reached out about it. I was totally excited about it and I’ve had so many young women, and also young boys, coming up to me and thanking me for playing a character that made them feel more comfortable or just inspiring them. It’s really touching, I feel very grateful that I’ve had this opportunity to play a character that embodies a very strong, queer woman.
What sort of a role do you want to sink your teeth into next?
I’ve always loved rooting for the bad guy. I would love to play someone who is a little bit morally ambiguous, whether that’d be a killer or something more mild. So yeah, I love rooting for the bad guy. But I would love to play anything—this was kind of contradictory to what I just said—but I also would love to do a musical. I was in a very small production of Oklahoma that was put on by my high school. I really love singing and dancing, so I think that that would be like the ultimate job.
Deadpool & Wolverine is in theaters now.
