Kat Dennings says she momentarily forgot she was part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe while visiting Avengers Campus at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, with her family.
The 40-year-old actor, who plays Darcy Lewis in Marvel projects, shared the story on the June 29 episode of “The Jennifer Hudson Show”.
“When I’m not working, I don’t think about it,” Dennings said. “I’m really just living and not thinking about it.”
Dennings said guests started waving at her as she and her husband, musician Andrew W.K., 47, walked through Avengers Campus with their stepchildren. At first, she said she assumed the attention was simply part of the upbeat atmosphere at the park.
“We were going through Avengers Campus, and everyone was waving at me,” she recalled. “I was like, ‘Everyone is so friendly. Everyone is in the best mood because it’s the happiest place on Earth.”
Her husband, she said, quickly pointed out what was actually happening.
“Then my husband was like, ‘Are you OK?’ And I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m in these movies! I forgot!'” Dennings said. “I completely forgot that I was part of the Marvel universe and that people were waving at me.”
Dennings said she even briefly convinced herself that parkgoers were reacting to a resemblance rather than recognizing her.
“I was like, ‘I look just like Darcy Lewis,'” she said with a laugh. “It was so stupid. I’m so dumb.”
A Recurring Presence Who Keeps Her Distance
Dennings first appeared as Darcy Lewis in 2011’s “Thor” before returning in “Thor: The Dark World”, “Thor: Love and Thunder”, the Disney+ series “WandaVision,” and the animated series “What If…?”
The character has become a recurring supporting presence across Marvel titles, moving from comic-relief intern in the first “Thor” film to a more central role in “WandaVision.” Dennings’ comments suggest that despite years of work inside the franchise, she separates that on-screen world from her everyday life when she is not on set.
Her account from the Anaheim park underscores the gap that can exist between how audiences experience Marvel with characters embedded in themed lands, streaming series, and films, and how some performers think about their roles once production ends.
Marvel Memory Gaps Isn’t New
Dennings is not the only Marvel performer to describe losing track of their place inside the interconnected series of films and shows.
Gwyneth Paltrow, 53, who played Pepper Potts in “Iron Man”, “Iron Man 2”, “Iron Man 3”, “The Avengers”, “Spider-Man: Homecoming”, “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame”, has previously said she finds the expanding catalog hard to follow.
Speaking to Elle Magazine in October 2019, Paltrow said, “But it is confusing because there are so many Marvel movies, and to be honest, I haven’t seen very many of them.”
Her confusion has sometimes extended to her co-stars, in a viral moment from the debut episode of “The Chef Show” on Netflix, co-star Jon Favreau, who portrays Happy Hogan in the Marvel Universe, mentioned to Paltrow that she was in “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” which she could not recall. “We were in ‘Spider-Man’ together,” Favreau said to her. Paltrow responded, “We weren’t in ‘Spider-Man.’ No, I was in ‘Avengers.’”
To which she responded, “We weren’t in Spider-Man,” “No, I was in Avengers,”
As Favreau continued to explain the details of the scene she appeared in, Paltrow remembered it but was still surprised that it was from the “Spider-Man: Homecoming” film.
An Ever-expanding Universe Continues to Grow
Dennings’ story arrives as Marvel prepares its next theatrical release, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”, starring Tom Holland and Zendaya later this month. The film will introduce “Stranger Things” breakout star Sadie Sink to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a mystery role, adding to what the studio has presented as an ever-expanding roster of heroes.
For fans who closely follow every installment of the franchise and watch casting announcements, seeing Kat Dennings at Avengers Campus can feel like a real-life extension of the universe they love. Her surprise at being recognized in a place created around the franchise she is part of highlights the different perspectives on the same pop culture phenomenon: one from inside the production team and the other from the enthusiastic crowd in the theme park.
