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Marvel's Meng'er Zhang reveals the acting advice Sir Ben Kingsley shared on the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings set
Kingsley, who starred as returning MCU buffoon Trevor Slattery in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, gave advice to the film's Xu Xialing, AKA Zhang. And now, she's sharing it with all of us
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One of the funniest bits of meta-casting in the MCU is Oscar-winner Sir Ben Kingsley as acting flunky Trevor Slattery. First introduced in Iron Man 3, the morally ambiguous goofball was so desperate for roles that he had to respond to a supervillain's ad - whereas in real-life, Kingsley is one of the most respected actors of a generation. In fact, when she needed advice on the craft herself, his costar Meng'er Zhang (AKA Shang-Chi's Xu Xialing), went to him for answers.
This we learned at New York Comic Con 2025, where Meng'er Zhang was appearing alongside costar and onscreen sibling Simu Liu at the Shang-Chi panel. At one point in the panel's discussion, moderator and Popverse Staff Writer Grant DeArmitt (hey! We know him!) asked about Zhang's experience working with the MCU's Slattery, and what she learned from it.
"Sir Ben?," Zhang started, smiling wide, "He is so cool. [Shang-Chi] was my first film. I came from theater, and I know nothing about camera acting. So I always went to him with my notebook in my hand, and I just asked him questions about, like, 'What's the difference between camera acting and stage acting?' He just gave me incredible answers, and I just put everything in my notes. It's like taking a master class - I feel really lucky and privileged about that."
Very rarely do we get the chance to hear Sir Ben Kingsley's advice on acting from someone ho learned it one-on-one, so we had to know more. What, we asked, was a particular piece of wisdom Kingsley shared?
"He said it so beautifully," Zhang respionded, "Acting on stage is like [being a] landscape artist. Acting on camera is like [being] a portrait artist. It just gave me a very clear image about what it's like; what's the difference. It helped me, truly."
We bet it did, Meng'er. And Marvel, if you're listening, I think we'd all like to see more of what Zhang learned from these lessons. Sooner rather than later, OK?
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is streaming on Disney+ now. Simu Liu will return as Marvel's Martial Arts Maven in Avengers: Doomsday December 18, 2026.
Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:
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