Pom Klementieff reprises her role of Mantis in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” with an added layer that she is related to Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill as of last year’s Christmas Special.
During the “Guardians” Christmas Special starring Kevin Bacon that aired in November 2022, Mantis quietly brought up to Drax (Dave Bautista) that Ego was her father, meaning she is Peter’s sister. And that changes things going into this last fillm in the “Guardians” franchise.
“The stakes are bigger for sure,” she told TheWrap. “Whatever happens to Peter Quill, it means a lot more to Mantis. She was craving for a family. So this connection means a lot to Mantis for sure.”
Klementieff said it wasn’t easy holding onto this secret, which she has been silent about for quite a while.
“Also, it’s a secret that I had to hold on to for years because James Gunn told me about them being siblings when he cast me,” she said. “The reveal was supposed to be done in Volume Two, and then they cut it out of the movie. So I had to hold on to the secret for a long time.”
The film — which could be the last adventure of the “Guardians” for a while — brought out all kinds of emotions for the empath-playing star.
“Some of the tears were just real. Some scenes towards the end of the shoot, we all sat in a circle, and we just realized that it was kind of like, maybe, the last time that we play the characters together with James Gunn’s vision, the characters as a group,” Klementieff said. “It was sad, but at the same time, it’s beautiful to have these emotions and to be able to express these emotions because it’s very rare to really care for each other, especially in Hollywood. I’m so grateful to, to work and to have worked with James Gunn, with the whole cast, and we’re going to find ways to work together again.”
When asked if she would play a DC hero or figure at the request of James Gunn, the actress said it is already in discussion.
“We’re talking about it already. So it’s in the plans,” she said.
Klementieff can next be seen in “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1,” where she “gets to kick ass.”
