Teenage 'Ms. Marvel' star says she "manifested" this moment in latest Disney+ series

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Streaming now on Disney+, 'Ms. Marvel,' the latest comic series to come to life on screen.

Action News had a chance to chat with the teenage star Iman Vellani, who is stepping into the iconic superhero role.

Vellani says as a Marvel superfan-- she initially auditioned just because she "wanted to meet people at Marvel."

That moment landed the 19-year-old her first professional acting job.

Vellani found out she got the job on the last day of high school.

She tried to play it cool in front of her friends, going for burritos moments after a Zoom with Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios.

But she assures everyone she's still pinching herself.

Vellani plays Kamala Khan, a teenager obsessed with all things Marvel.

"I really feel like I manifested this," she said. "I was a Ms. Marvel fan long before I even auditioned. I read all of her comic books when I was in high school. I dressed up as her on Halloween. I was so attached and protective over this character. I really did fall in love with her because I felt like the comics were written about me, a brown girl. She felt so real to me. It was like a comic book was holding a mirror in front of me."

Ms. Marvel is the first Muslim Pakistani superhero.

Vellani says this role made her reconnect with her own roots.

"I think it's so wonderful that we're showing Muslims and Pakistanis in a positive light," she said. "We are showing brown people on-screen having fun, making jokes, humanizing the entire culture so much more than Hollywood has ever done. I'm really glad that we could be a part of this."

Ms. Marvel is a six-episode series streaming right now on Disney+.