Xochitl Gomez Didn't Think She'd Land "Doctor Strange 2" Role

After wrapping up the production on "The Baby-Sitters Club" in 2020, Gomez taped an audition for "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" when she was only 13. The actress recalled that she wasn't even aware of the character she was auditioning for, as Marvel Studios kept details under wraps and used code names for all the characters. Since America Chavez was initially written to be a young adult, aged around 18, Gomez didn't get her hopes up and had forgotten all about the role once she sent in her tape. Gomez was surprised when she got a callback for another round of auditions a couple of months later. By then, fortunately, screenwriter Michael Waldron had revisited the character and reimagined America as a much younger version than previously planned. Gomez got called in for a screen test in London, after which she received a surprise call from casting director Sarah Halley Finn, informing her that she was the new America Chavez.

To prepare for the role of America Chavez, Gomez threw herself into stunt training as soon as she got a callback. Gomez opened up in a chat with Entertainment Weekly that she wanted to hit the ground running on the off chance she booked a screen test. She revealed that she had been training in martial arts since she was 11.

The actress began training with a stuntman friend, which involved intense workout regimes such as kickboxing, core strengthening, and wirework. "We trained for like a month (and did) kickboxing and stunt tumbling every other day for a couple of hours. It was intense, but I felt like it was necessary because if I got to the next stage, I didn't wanna do a little and be nervous. I wanted to go in there and own it, and I wanted (the Marvel team) to be blown away by my skills," Gomez told Seventeen. She added that after finally booking the role, she stepped up her daily training by adding running to the mix.

Gomez has already mapped out how she'd like to challenge herself in her future endeavours, and it seems that directing is definitely on her mind. She expressed that she looks to other Marvel actors for inspiration and is looking forward to walking in their footsteps by deftly balancing big studio projects with indie flicks. She then went on to explain her proclivity for directing, saying, "I do have some ideas for music videos that I'd like to shoot for artists that I really like just because lots of the directors that I like started in music videos. So, that just seems like a good way to start."

In the meantime, she says she's been practicing by directing her own dance videos and montages on TikTok. "I find so much joy in that. It's like, why not start doing music videos?" If her TikTok content is any indication, we certainly can't wait to witness what else she has in store for us!