In another universe, Geraldine Viswanathan got her big break on the Disney Channel. “I think about it all the time,” she says. “I came to LA when I was 18 and had a dodgy manager who was operating out of a Vietnamese restaurant. I got very close to a Disney Channel movie, and it really broke my heart when I couldn’t do it because I didn’t have a visa.” Your loss, Teen Beach Movie 2.

Instead, the 29-year-old Australian actor broke out as John Cena’s scene-stealing daughter in 2018’s Blockers. Since then, she’s drawn raves in both mainstream comedies and offbeat indies. She investigated Hugh Jackman’s corrupt superintendent in Bad Education, romanced Margaret Qualley in Drive-Away Dolls, and verbally sparred with Steve Buscemi’s God on Miracle Workers. As we chat she’s sipping from a mug covered in black-and-white photos of Buscemi’s distinctive face. “This was a season one wrap gift from Daniel Radcliffe,” she says, “and it’s my favorite thing in the world.”

This January Viswanathan stars alongside Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell in You’re Cordially Invited, then enters the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Thunderbolts* next spring. “You try to shake that intimidation as quickly as possible,” she says of working with super- stars. “I just try to see what makes them human. Honestly, it’s usually when they mess up—like, ‘Cool. We can both mess up. You’re not a god, even though you kind of are a god.’ ”

Born to an Indian father, who works in medicine, and a Swiss mother, who’s a painter, Viswanathan learned to love showbiz after her mom’s early stint as an aspiring musical theater actor. (“She was in the chorus of Annie when I was little, and I got to go backstage and pat Sandy.”) Viswanathan also happily admits to experiencing humbling moments of her own on both of her new films. While making You’re Cordially Invited, she got hit with food poisoning: “There’s one scene where I was trying really hard not to throw up on Will Ferrell. He was like, ‘You can throw up on me—it’s okay.’ ”

On Thunderbolts* she felt like she’d stumbled into a fantastical wonderland: “My first day didn’t feel real. I felt this extra pressure of, ‘Know your lines, babe. You can’t really play around like you usually do.’ ” The blockbuster features MCU stalwarts like Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan as well as Viswanathan, who was cast after her friend Ayo Edebiri dropped out. “It was fully good vibes,” Viswanathan says of the baton passing. “Ayo has the world at her feet and was like, ‘Go hang out with Julia Louis-Dreyfus.’ To have her blessing felt great.” Edebiri also helped in a more practical way: “They don’t show you the script until you sign on, so it was really helpful to talk to someone who knew what the goal was.”

Joining a Marvel project, of course, tends to invite scrutiny from all sides. “I am sort of bracing myself,” says Viswanathan. “If it’s overwhelming, I’ll log off. But I like discourse around pop culture.” And she suspects Thunderbolts* won’t feel like a typical superhero story: “It felt a little bit edgier and fresher, more existential and dark.”

Which is very much her own vibe. “I’ve been really inspired by Sandra Hüller,” Viswanathan says. “Anatomy of a Fall—that role is a dream. The Worst Person in the World is the movie I’ve felt the most seen by, ever.” She also finds herself guided by a very different kind of star: Jim Carrey, whose motivational speeches can be found on YouTube. “He’s so universe-expanding,” Viswanathan says. “Anyone that reminds me, ‘Hey, we are specks of dust on a floating rock, do whatever you want,’ I’m drawn to. It informs a lot of what I do. The background on my phone is a photo from the Hubble Space Telescope. When I go on an audition or have to pop off in a scene, that’s what helps me.”

HAIR, AMBER DUARTE; MAKEUP, TAMAH; MANICURE, SREYNIN PENG; TAILOR, IRINA TSHARTARYAN. PRODUCED ON LOCATION BY PREISS CREATIVE. FOR DETAILS, GO TO VF.COM/CREDITS.