Iman Vellani

Iman Vellani (/ɪˈmɑːn vəˈlɑːni/; born August 12, 2002) is a Pakistani-born Canadian actress. She is known for the Disney+ miniseries Ms. Marvel (2022) as the protagonist Kamala Khan, a role she will reprise in the film The Marvels (2023). Born in Karachi, Pakistan, Vellani moved to Canada when she was a year old, and was raised in the Ismaili faith, a branch of Shia Islam. She graduated from Unionville High School in Markham, Ontario. Vellani was selected as a member of the TIFF Next Wave Committee at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. Before being cast in Ms. Marvel at the end of her last year of high school, Vellani had planned to attend the Ontario College of Art & Design University with a focus on integrated media. In September 2020, it was revealed Vellani was cast as the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero Kamala Khan for Marvel Studios and Disney+'s streaming television miniseries Ms. Marvel. Vellani's aunt had forwarded her a casting call for the role, which led to her submitting a self-tape before being asked to audition in Los Angeles – and eventually having two screen tests: an in-person one in February that year, as well as a virtual one over Zoom in June. Kamala Khan co-creator Sana Amanat, who served as an executive producer on the series, said Vellani revealed in her Zoom screen test that she, like Khan, is an Avengers fangirl. Amanat said, "She showed me every corner of her room, and it was covered with Avengers. Then she said, 'Oh, wait; I'm not done', opened up her closet, and there was more Marvel everywhere".