Erin Kellyman talks playing "powerful, strong women" in Solo and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Erin Kellyman in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
(Image credit: Disney/Marvel)

Erin Kellyman joined the MCU as Karli Morgenthau in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but before that she was Enfys Nest in Solo: A Star Wars Story, the young pirate leader with a seriously cool mask and a penchant for nabbing coaxium. As for Karli, she's part of the Flag Smashers, a group of people with Super Soldier abilities who have big plans for the world. 

"It's been a lot of fun, I feel like it's always a great experience playing this kind of a character," Kellyman tells a roundtable attended by GamesRadar+. "And I also think it's interesting for people to see, especially young girls, seeing a woman in this kind of a role because most of the time they are played by men."

The Flag Smashers want to return life to the way it was before the Blip (AKA when Thanos snapped his fingers and wiped out half the universe in Infinity War) was reversed in Endgame. But in Marvel comics, Flag Smasher is a man named Karl Morgenthau. 

"Originally in the scripts, Karl was a man," Kellyman adds. "So, I think it's great that they decided to change her into a woman. It was brave as well, because a lot of the time people are quite protective over what they know, and the comics. But, they decided that it would be best played by a woman, and I'm really grateful for that, because that means I got to play her."

So, do Karli and the equally rebellious Enfys Nest have anything in common? "There was definitely similarities," Kellyman says. "I think as the series goes on, people will learn that there's a lot of differences as well. I certainly found that there's a lot of differences, and once you unpack Karli and learn more about her, I think people will see that."

"But it's so important to play characters like this," she continues. "I feel like I'll never stop playing powerful, strong women. I hope to play that kind of person till the day I die."

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier drops a new episode every Friday, and you can see our The Falcon and the Winter Soldier release schedule right here to make sure you don't miss any of the action. In the meantime, check out the best Disney Plus prices and deals, as well as how to watch Marvel movies in order to get all caught up. 

Molly Edwards
Entertainment Writer

I'm an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.