In an interview on Ahmad Ali Butt’s podcast, actor Faran Tahir opened up about his return to Marvel, which he was a part of long before the launch of the expansive Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Faran, who played the vicious Raza in the first Iron Man film, said, “It’ll be fun to revive that character after 17 years to see where he is and what he’s up to.” He further confirmed, “It’ll be a multiverse thing.”
In January, Deadline reported that the Pakistani actor is set to reprise his role as the antagonist leader of the Ten Rings through the upcoming series Vision Quest. Not much is known about Tahir’s involvement or the project at large, but his reprisal came as a surprise for those who are aware of his character’s fate in the 2008 film.
Closure at last
Looking back on how he got the opportunity, the actor said, “I found out six months ago. I was walking in New York and I received a call from the executive producer, who I also worked with on a series called 12 Monkeys. He asked me what I would be doing in February, so I said, given the line of work I’m in, I don’t even know what I’m doing tomorrow, let alone in February.”
The executive producer then pitched the idea to Faran, which turned out to be a fateful callback to an inside joke. “We had this running joke that we’d bring back my characters from Star Trek and Iron Man somehow, and we’d laugh about it and the conversation would end there,” Faran said. “Then fast forward to six years later, he calls me up, tells me he’s doing this series, and asks me if I want to revive a character of mine.”
The Umro Ayyar actor agreed to the offer, though this new development did come with its challenges. “Now, I didn’t know how I was going to keep that a secret for six months. Because until Marvel announced something, I couldn’t say anything.”
He added that whenever someone would bring up his Marvel endeavours, he would have to stay tight-lipped or evade the topic somehow. But now that he’s past those trials, there is much to look forward to.
“It’s going to be fun. The series has James Spader, Paul Bettany, and me,” he said. “We’re filming it at Pinewood Studios in London.”
Although Raza is only returning to the MCU now, Faran revealed that the creators had more plans for the character back when Iron Man hit the big screen. “There’s something that always stuck with me. Back when we did Iron Man, the initial idea was that this character would appear in three films.”
Faran added that the hints are all present in the 2008 film, specifically in a dialogue performed by Jeff Bridges’ Obadiah Stane. “The idea was to introduce me in the first film. In the second, I would be in the background gathering my army. And in the third film, there would be a crescendo. But that film, fortunately or unfortunately, did so well that Marvel was sold to Disney, and then they changed things up.”
An awe-inspiring career
Over the years, Faran has recorded a remarkable catalogue of projects, with his most recent venture being the MMA drama film, The Martial Artist. But aside from film and television, he also has an impressive background in stage plays, having appeared in over 50 such productions.
Sharing insights from his experience, he said, “American theatre is its own brand. For example, the way they adapt Shakespeare is a lot different from how the British theatre would do it.”
Faran mentioned that he himself has starred in a theatre production of the playwright’s tragedy, Macbeth. “We would entertain an audience of 8,000 people every night. It was like a Shakespeare rock concert. So, that’s fun in its own way. The thrilling interaction you have with a live audience is not something you can get out of film or television.”
He also noted, “Theatre is an actor’s medium. The moment you light up that candle, you have to keep going, no matter how good or bad you’re doing.”
Faran believes that unlike screen productions where multiple factors like sound or editing can thwart one’s performance, a theatre play is where an actor is fully in control. “Whatever setbacks you face, you have to promptly fix them yourself. So, it’s a beautiful challenge.”
But even the best of opportunities can afford difficult decisions, as while doing Macbeth, Faran was forced to turn down an offer from home. “This is a regret of mine. Humayun [Saeed] offered me a role, but I was doing Macbeth and they had to begin filming soon,” he said. “I was offered the role in Gentleman that Adnan [Siddiqui] ended up doing.”
But Faran, who starred in the sci-fi film Umro Ayyar – A New Beginning, is hopeful about acting in a Pakistani production again. “Now that I’m back at home, let’s see. We’ll do something.”