The new Queen of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's streets, Alaqua Cox took the stage at Awesome Con 2024 to share her experience working on Echo. From getting casted to putting on the suit, fight training and more, Alaqua opened up about what it was like becoming Maya Lopez.
Alaqua Cox On Echo – Awesome Con 2024
Right out of the gate, Alaqua Cox has thrilled Marvel fans as Maya Lopez aka Echo. She debuted in the Hawkeye series before going on to star in her own, Marvel Studios Spotlight: Echo, a gritty, ruthless, and raw crime drama that delivers a character-driven story and some kick*ss fight sequences. Vincent D'Onofrio may have returned as the formidable and unforgettable Kingpin, but it was truly Cox that killed it as the new queen of the Marvel streets.
Putting on the Echo Costume The First Time
Alaqua: Oh my gosh, I loved it. That was my all time favorite costume, having the Indigenous traditions and runes embedded into the costume made by authentic Indigenous people. They did a lot of work… it took months for them to finish [it]. We had a lot of fittings…had to make sure the costume was just right and especially the “superhero leg” alongside the costume. It was so great. It just felt so badass. That costume means a lot to me.
Auditioning For The Role of Maya Lopez “Echo”
Alaqua: My friend sent me a casting call saying that they were looking for a woman in their 20s who was also Indigenous and athletic. So they sent it to me and they said this is you and I said I'm not interested in acting. Two or three other people sent it to me. Maybe this is a sign or something? I said alright, let's just go and try it out. Because I honestly thought they would never pick me for this role because of my prosthetic leg. They sent me a text saying that they wanted a full body picture [so] I had to show my prosthetic leg and I thought that's it there goes my chance, I'm not going to get it… I remember September 1 2021, they said hey, we need you to get on a zoom call with the casting manager or something. My hair was a mess, I was not done up at all! And we had all these people from the studio, Kevin Feige was there and they were all doing the [sign for] clapping. They said you got the role! Such a great feeling.
Training For Echo
Alaqua: There was a lot of training involved..it was so fun. The stunt team were the nicest, most patient people I've ever met. They took the time to learn ASL as well, so that was really nice of them. But I grew up playing different kinds of sports. I always loved doing active things. It was very nice to be involved with an acting job [that] also has a lot of activity. It was crazy, this show is full of action fight scenes, left and right, but I really liked [working with] the stunt team.
Relating to Maya Lopez
Alaqua: I think we both have resilience. Maya has been through a lot and so we have I. Being an amputee, I've gone through a lot of surgeries, most of my childhood I was in a hospital and no kid should ever have to go through that. Luckily I have such a very loving and supportive family…they're always there for me. But Maya didn't really have that so I feel bad for her honestly. But she is a warrior, she's so strong, and she's resilient, so I feel like we have that in common. And the difference is she's full of rage and I don't feel very rage full!
Favorite Marvel Superhero
Alaqua: That's an easy answer, The Hulk! I loved watching his movie growing up with my dad and I love the actor Mark Ruffalo as well. He's a huge advocate for the Indigenous community…as an actor and as a person, I love who he is. I hope that I'll be able to meet him and hopefully cross paths with him at some point in the future. We'll see.!
*this interview has been edited for length and clarity*
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