Welcome to Marvel: A Conversation with Gregg Sulkin at Wizard World

Gregg Sulkin is one of the most hard-working, tenacious actors in Hollywood. Fifteen years into his career, he’s played a wide range of characters, everything from a werewolf on Wizards of Waverly Place to a graffiti artist with a troubled past in the film, Anti-Social. Next, he’ll join the Marvel family as Chase Stein, the multifaceted jock with special abilities, in Hulu’s Runaways—premiering in 2018. This weekend, he was among the star-studded lineup at Wizard World Philadelphia, where he talked about his career and latest project. Here’s everything we learned from his panel!

Runaways

How He Learned He Got the Part
Jeph Loeb, the Head of Marvel TV, called Gregg and told him that he was about to hear three words that would change his life forever: “Welcome to Marvel”. Gregg played it cool on the phone but geeked out afterwards.

The Cast Didn’t Know If the Series Would Be Picked Up
They shot the pilot back in February, but with the potential writers’ strike looming, they had no idea what their fate would be.

When Will They Start Shooting?
The cast is heading to Los Angeles in three weeks to begin filming the first season of Runaways. Gregg joked that he was excited to be able to sleep in his own bed.

Leap of Faith
When Gregg signed onto the show, he wasn’t given the script. He knew Josh Schwartz was involved with the project and that was enough for him to sign on for seven years.

How Faithful will the Adaptation be?
Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, the showrunners of Runaways, plan to stay true to the comics but will also make it their own. Gregg acknowledged how much Chase means to a lot of people and feels the responsibility to do a good job. He says out of all the characters, Chase probably changed the most. In the comics, he’s stereotyped as a dumb jock, but they hope to make Chase more layered in the television series.

Wizards of Waverly Place

One Big Happy Family
Gregg misses the cast and crew of Wizards of Waverly Place. He said he owes a lot to them. When he moved to Los Angeles, he didn’t know anyone, and David [Henrie] took him under his wing. The crew treated him like he was their son and steered him on the right path.

What It’s Really Like Being a Werewolf
The worst part about being a werewolf on Wizards of Waverly Place was how long it took to get the makeup on. There was one time when they were shooting that Gregg’s appendix burst. He finished filming the scene and had to be rushed to the hospital in full costume. The doctors didn’t know if they were treating a human or an actual werewolf!

Fun(ny) Moments

Inside the Actors Studio
If Gregg wasn’t an actor, he would love to be involved in the police force. In his own words, “He wants to bring bad people down”.

Melissa & Joey
He’s a big fan of Joey Lawrence and Melissa Joan Hart. Melissa directed his first episode on Melissa & Joey, and Gregg kept question where Salem the cat was.

American Accent
Two days before shooting Avalon High, the director called Gregg and told him he thinks he should do an American accent for the film. Gregg’s response? “What!!”

Faking It: Kiam or Karmy?
When MTV rudely canceled Faking It, fans never got the closure they needed. If it were up to Gregg, he would have had Amy and Karma getting engaged. He thought it would be a beautiful moment and the perfect ending.

At the end of the panel, Gregg took a few moments to thank the fans for their continued support. Not only is he a terrific actor but he’s an even better person. We can’t wait to check him out in Hulu’s Runaways, premiering in 2018!