I still think we should retroactively give Tatiana Maslany an Emmy for every season of Orphan Black.
Honestly, the fact that she only won an Emmy for one season of Orphan Black and not all four still boggles my mind.
When news broke in late 2020 that she’d been cast to play She-Hulk in Marvel’s upcoming Disney+ series, her fans (myself included) were naturally stoked.
| tatiana maslany is going to serve as she-hulk i feel it in my bone marrow UGH she’s deserved attention since orphan black
So, in honor of (IMO) one of the top five actors of her generation, here are just 10 of the countless reasons you gotta love Tatiana Maslany:
1.
She’s a literal chameleon.
BBC America / Via tvfeels.com
It’s been nearly five years since Orphan Black (the TV series ended), and I still marvel at the fact that Tatiana Maslany was able to not only regularly play five separate characters, but also often play those characters pretending to be each other. Had I not known going into the show that it was just one person playing all those clones, I’d have assumed it was at least a pair of twins.
2.
She gives credit where credit is due.
Paley Center / Via giphy.com
While filming Orphan Black, she always made sure people didn’t forget that while she was the face of the show (and ultimately about a dozen characters), she shared the many roles with her body double, Kathryn Alexandre.
In a Q&A with the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, Tatiana said of Kathryn: “She’s so amazing. She memorizes all of the lines, all of my blocking, all of her blocking, my mannerisms, my impulses; she, somehow, memorizes all of that and gives it back to me with a performance I can play off of.”
3.
She knows how to rollerblade.
View this video on YouTube
This might not seem like a big deal, but as someone who can’t even walk in heels, I find being able to move around with wheels strapped to your feet very impressive. It’s actually how she got to her Orphan Black audition — she told Seth Meyers back in 2016 that she was so nervous she decided to rollerblade there to make herself feel better.
Late Night with Seth Meyers / NBC /Â youtube.com
4.
She’s in it for the long haul.
View this video on YouTube
It’s no wonder she’s so good at acting — she’s been doing it since the age of 9, when she started performing in community theater and musicals. Her first feature film role was Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed, as Ghost.
Movieclips / Lionsgate / youtube.com
5.
She’s got a great sense of humor.
View this video on YouTube
Anyone who’s watched an interview with her will know she’s genuinely funny, and it’s no surprise considering she did improv for a decade. She was a member of Canadian improv group General Fools, and even competed (and won) in the Canadian Improv Games when she was a teen in 2002.
BBC America / Via youtube.com
6.
She’s quick on her feet (and fingers).
E! / TBS / Via orphanblack.tumblr.com
She keeps those improv skills handy. When she walked the red carpet at the 2015 SAG Awards, she was asked to do the mani-cam. After admitting she hadn’t gotten her nails done, she gave the camera a quick thumbs-up — without actually showing her nails.
8.
She’s an LGBTQ ally.
View this video on YouTube
In an interview with GLAAD, she said: “A lot of my friends, you know, have struggled with coming out or identifying how they identify. And it’s just a no-brainer to me. It just makes no sense that there wouldn’t be support for the community — that it even has to be a separate community. Like, I don’t understand why there’s a line drawn. And I totally just feel grateful that I’ve had these experiences with fans, you know, at Comic-Con who are coming out because of Orphan Black.”
GLAAD / Via youtube.com
9.
She can keep a secret.
@MarkRuffalo /Â Jordan Strauss/Invision / AP / Via Twitter: @MarkRuffalo
Unlike some of her fellow Marvel stars (they know who they are), she denied being cast as Jennifer Walters in Disney+’s She-Hulk series until Marvel broke the news. She told the Sudbury Star that it was just a “press release that got out of hand,” even though Mark Ruffalo seemed to confirm the news in a tweet a month earlier (see above parenthetical).
10.
She’s a humble queen.
Paley Center / Via giphy.com
Like I said earlier, Tatiana has a lot of fans, and those fans include none other than Sophia Bush, who got a little flustered when the two met for the first time.
“I was sweating and didn’t know what to do,” Sophia told Ilana Glazer during a BuzzFeed interview. “I was like, ‘I’m not supposed to because we do the same thing for a living, but I can’t…words don’t…I’m so sorry.’
“She was like, ‘I really appreciate it!'”
What do you love most about Tatiana Maslany? Let us know in the comments!
