(opening music)
- Thank you.
(audience cheering)
- You're adorable.
All your jewelry and your shoes,
you are like a walking piece of art.
- That's a really good hug by the way.
I'm like-
- Oh, I'm like such a hugger.
He hates it, but-
(Kelly laughs)
- I've heard. - But I'm like-
- No. But if you face me, she does something else.
(Kelly laughs)
- I will just not do that.
Um, so this is your first talk show, right?
- Yeah.
- 'Cause you're 19, right?
Wow.
(audience clapping and cheering)
- 19, like I was just telling, Howie, I was like 19
and landing this amazing role.
Like, are you just like pinching yourself
or feeling pressure or what are you feeling?
- It's a fever dream.
- It's, yeah. - Yeah.
I'm floating constantly. - Incredible.
Yeah. So how long have you been acting?
- 18 months going strong.
- Oh, 18 months. - 18 months?
- Oh my God. - Wow.
- Yeah.
- When do you stop counting your career in months?
- When do people stop counting their like newborn baby?
- I don't know.
You know, you're from my hometown.
- You're from Toronto?
- Markham. - Markham?
- Yeah. - Oh my God.
- Well, I grew up at Bathurst and Steeles,
so I that's where my family lives in Markham right now.
- I'm in Unionville.
- Yeah. I know where you're from.
So I'm so proud of you.
I'm so proud of this is a hometown girl.
- I love that.
- It's so refreshing to hear people actually know Markham
because I keep saying Toronto, which I need to stop
- But you're putting it on the map.
- I know Markham, Ontario.
- Markham, Marvel.
- Markham to Marvel.
- Mar that's amazing
- Title of my book
- 18 Months. That is a great book in the making.
So how did you find out about "Ms. Marvel"?
- WhatsApp.
- Is that real?
- Yeah. My aunt was part of like
- Your life right now.
Okay. Keep going.
- It's crazy.
My aunt was part of a group chat that she never opens.
One day, she decided to, and there was like the "Ms. Marvel"
casting call and it was like a blank page,
"Ms. Marvel" send headshot and resume to this email.
Super sketchy so obviously I did it,
(Kelly Clarkson laughs)
but no, I was a huge "Ms. Marvel" fan in high school.
I read all the comics.
I was a Marvel nerd, my entire life surrounded Marvel.
And now people actually have to listen when I talk about it.
Cuz I like work for it.
- Oh my God, you get paid for it now.
- It's crazy.
- That's amazing.
- But yeah.
- That's awesome though that you always loved it.
And then you get to your first role is
like something that you loved as a kid.
- Yeah.
- You're still a kid to me, but yeah.
I was like, I could be your mom.
Look we can,
- How do you get a career online?
It's like, that's amazing.
Your aunt went online.
- WhatsApp. And it was like
this is the brownest way this could have happened.
Like for south Asians,
WhatsApp is our home.
(Kelly and Howie laugh)
- It's our home?
- It's Costco and WhatsApp.
(laughter)
- You're funny too.
(audience applause)
- Very funny.
So wait, is it true
that you gave Marvel feedback on like all the Marvel movies?
- I gotta be honest.
Everything that happened in my first year at
Marvel was such a blur.
- But did that,
- I, I probably did.
I like every time I see a new movie I'm like
texting Kevin or Victoria, like, "Hey
so next time maybe try this instead.
But like you're on the right track."
(Kelly Clarkson laughs)
- My God.
- They like can't say no to me now so
- Did you leave school?
- No, I got cast on the last day of high school.
- Wow.
- What is your life?
- Perfect graduation present considering I
didn't get one cuz of COVID so
- Yeah. Well there you did though.
- Oh, we don't feel real bad.
(audience laughs)
- Yeah. No one feels bad for you right now.
So wait, one of the coolest things though
is you are Marvel's first Muslim superhero.
That's like really cool too.
Does that?
It's so cool.
Does it feel cause the, the inclusivity is awesome.
Does it, do you feel pressure cuz of that?
Cuz you're like holding something down
like all by yourself right now?
- Nope.
(Kelly and Howie laugh)
I love you.
- No, I mean like,
- You know, what's great.
A, a Catholic, a Muslim and a Jew.
We should go walk into a bar,
- I'm not Catholic,
- Christian.
- I'm not,
- Let's walk into a bar.
I know something really funny might happen.
- It's a really great joke
I love it.
- It's coming can't no, but there's, there's a lot
of pressure with being the first of anything.
I just, I don't think about it.
Like I can't wake up every morning and be like
you're the first Muslim Pakistani superhero do good.
Okay. For your people.
But like, no, it's just, the superhero part is so cool.
And, and it's just like working with my idols and I'm
I'm just, there's so much inspiration and, and, and
like representation for me behind the camera.
- Yeah.
- Like all the creatives on our show have
such an emotional attachment to this character
into the story and, and they're bringing so much
of that and I think that's just why I'm here.
And yeah
- I think it's awesome that you are so chill about it too
because I think that's also, I feel
like I came in the industry at 19 as well and it
and everybody would say, oh, do you feel pressure?
And it was so funny.
I got that question.
I was like, no, but sh, should I?
I was like, I would freak out because I, I
I think people naturally want to ask the question
but sometimes I think when you are 19 years old
you're just like, I'm just like doing what I love.
And it's like fun.
And I'm like, there's no like jaded,
there's no reason other than that.
Which is kind of really beautiful.
- Yeah. I do this for free.
My dad was like, don't say that.
- I'm sure your agent said that too.
- I, yeah
- Her life is insane
- It's so weird, So wonderful.
- I know
- It's amazing.
You're like a dream come true, young lady,
- Your hometown girl,
- Thank you.
- Your hometown girl is killing it.