\n Shaunette Ren\u00e9e Wilson and Phoebe Waller-Bridge<\/span> John Salangsang\/Shutterstock; Anthony Harvey\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
It\u2019s time for one last adventure with Indiana Jones, and a few new faces are joining our favorite archaeologist \u2014 including Shaunette Ren\u00e9e Wilson<\/strong>\u2018s Agent Mason.<\/p>\n Wilson, 33, \u200bexclusively told Us Weekly<\/em> that she was \u201cdefinitely\u201d a fan of Indy (Harrison Ford<\/strong><\/a>) long before landing her starring role in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny<\/em><\/a>, which hits theaters on Friday, June 30. \u201cI think my first engagement with it was as a kid watching [with] my dad and my brother. We were [an] immigrant family, and that was a good introduction to American cinema and a bit of American culture,\u201d she shared. \u201cAnd it was really fantastic just to see this kind of anti-hero who, you know, fumbles about and gets hurt \u2014 it isn\u2019t so perfect or pristine \u2014 was really, really unique and interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny<\/em> picks up in 1969 amid the moon landing. Indy is teaching college classes in New York City, and he\u2019s settled into his life as a lonely archaeology professor on the verge of retirement. When his goddaughter Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge<\/strong><\/a>) comes to him with some questions about the legendary Archimedes Dial, which can locate fissures in time, it becomes clear that she isn\u2019t a little girl but a con woman \u2014 and she isn\u2019t the only one who wants the dial.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Mason is one of the U.S. government agents working with Dr. Schmidt, a.k.a. J\u00fcrgen Voller (Mads Mikkelson<\/strong><\/a>), a Nazi scientist who is also after the dial. \u201cShe\u2019s working with Dr. Schmidt, who was one of the scientists who helped get Americans through the moon,\u201d Wilson explained. \u201cSo in a bit of quid pro quo, we are after this, he has requested this dial. We have no sense of its power or why he wants it, but we\u2019re gonna do our best to get it for him. \u2026 and things just get a little bit out of hand from there.\u201d<\/p>\n Mason gets a whole lot more than she bargained for as she follows Dr. Schmidt without any knowledge of his loyalty to the Nazis.<\/p>\n Behind the scenes, Wilson got more than she expected in the best ways while filming the movie \u2014 including forging a friendship with Waller-Bridge. \u201cWith someone of her caliber, [she provided] even a bit of a mentorship with me, and yeah, [it was] just truly, truly special,\u201d Wilson gushed. \u201cI don\u2019t think this experience would\u2019ve been as amazing as it was without her.\u201d<\/p>\n Scroll down to read more from Wilson:<\/p>\n Us Weekly<\/em>: Can you tell me a little bit about your character and how she crosses paths with Indiana Jones?<\/strong><\/p>\n Shaunette Ren\u00e9e Wilson:<\/strong> My character is Agent Mason. She\u2019s a representative of the U.S. government \u2014 whether she\u2019s the CIA [or] FBI is a little bit ambiguous. She\u2019s working with Dr. Schmidt, who was one of the scientists who helped get Americans through the moon. So in a bit of quid pro quo, we are after this, he has requested this dial. We have no sense of its power or why he wants it, but we\u2019re gonna do our best to get it for him. And, unfortunately, the person we\u2019re following who has the dial is Ms. Shaw. And [she] leads us to Indiana Jones. And I encounter him as Dr. Jones. He\u2019s a professor at Hunter College, and things just get a little bit out of hand from there.<\/p>\n Us<\/em>: We have to talk about the fashion. Did you love getting to go into that period look? Did you get to collaborate at all on making that look or anything?<\/strong><\/p>\n Wilson:<\/strong> Oh, I definitely did. My mood board was just plastered with Pam Grier and Foxy Brown and Cleopatra [Jones]. This was the 1960s blaxploitation era. [The look is a] beautiful homage to all of that. We initially started with a bit of a smaller \u2018fro. I mean, the attention to detail of this character\u2019s look was impeccable. All the producers were in the room, and it was just really dedicated to making sure that this was properly represented. Yeah, the \u2018fro started pretty tight and kind of taper, and then we kept growing and kept growing and like, if we\u2019re gonna make a statement just, you know, go big or go home and that\u2019s what we did.<\/p>\n Us<\/em>: Did you and Phoebe Waller-Bridge have a good time on this set?<\/strong><\/p>\n Wilson:<\/strong> Oh yeah. I mean, just on that fact alone, we were the only two women shooting at that time. We just gelled together so beautifully and kind of held onto each other, looking at each other, knowing that there\u2019s just the two of us \u2014 but also just as artists, as people of the craft who love what we do. And I was such a fan of hers, obviously, Fleabag. I was so thrilled to see her humanity and generosity. She\u2019s such a beautiful soul. I think we really, really connected, going on lovely trips in Edinburgh together, going on little tours together, hanging out in Glasgow. We\u2019re the Glasgow gals \u2019til we die! She just was really, really, really special. With someone of her caliber, [she provided] even a bit of a mentorship with me and yeah, [it was] just truly, truly special. I don\u2019t think this experience would\u2019ve been as amazing as it was without her.<\/p>\n Us<\/em>: Did she give you any particular advice that stands out to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n Wilson:<\/strong> Yeah. She didn\u2019t need to and she\u2019s so busy \u2014 didn\u2019t have the time to \u2014 but she actually read a pilot that I wrote. [Waller-Bridge] gave incredible notes and talked about the heart of the piece and the characters, and [she] was also very complimentary and just went through a bit of her process. She told me to write what scares you. Write the thing that you\u2019re afraid of and also write what you know, what feels the closest to you. \u2018Cause that\u2019s what the real craft is, [it] is taking something personal and fictionalizing it and making it something that\u2019s relatable to everyone. Yeah, and just the literally the day-to-day [routine], to keep levity, to keep the humor, but also just sincerity and deep emotionality. Yeah, I\u2019m really fangirling in a lot of ways, but she\u2019s really honestly just a genuinely sincere person.<\/p>\n Us<\/em>: What was your favorite memory from filming this movie?<\/strong><\/p>\n Wilson:<\/strong> I think it was being in Glasgow. We have blocked off long city blocks [to] reimagine, reinvent a 1969 New York. I\u2019m from New York, so it was really cool to be transported back in time and seeing familiar things of New York of today. Just the energy of the crowd and the people, there was this huge parade, huge action sequence. [That] was my first day on set. It was really magical and I\u2019m just like, \u2018Oh yeah, I\u2019m here. I\u2019m part of this story,\u2019 and I\u2019m in it. And within the plot, I\u2019m at a point where things are really alive. It\u2019s a beautiful introduction into the era that we move to in the film.<\/p>\n Us<\/em>: How was working with Harrison Ford?<\/strong><\/p>\n Wilson:<\/strong> The phrase I just remembered him using, when I heard for the first time, I thought, \u2018This is amazing.\u2019 He\u2019s like, \u2018Let\u2019s shoot this piece of s\u2013t.\u2019 [laughs] Just so, so fantastic and just screaming, \u2018Actors ready!\u2019 It was really great. He is a lover of what we do. He\u2019s an actor first. Of course, the extent of his career is so massive and he has a wealth of experience, but he is so grounded and so present and was with me energetically, whether or not the camera was on him or not. Also, he\u2019s just so funny. His inner child is always at play. He has this deadpan dry humor, but he is essentially a still bit of a kid, and I think that has aided his longevity.<\/p>\n Us<\/em>: What feeling do you hope that fans walk away with after they finish this movie?<\/strong><\/p>\n Wilson:<\/strong> I want them to feel inspired, but also have closure to what has been an impeccably insane ride of a franchise and the character, to be able to say goodbye and to feel acceptance and peace with that. But also just excited to know that there\u2019s still adventure to be had; there\u2019s still discovery to be had. This is the end of this particular franchise. We\u2019re saying goodbye to this character, but for ourselves, there\u2019s way more to explore.<\/p>\n![\"Shaunette](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Shaunette-Renee-Wilson-and-Phoebe-Waller-Bridge-forged-a-special-bond-4.jpg?w=700&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Shaunette Ren\u00e9e Wilson as Agent Mason<\/span> Jonathan Olley\/Lucasfilm<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"Shaunette](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Shaunette-Renee-Wilson-and-Phoebe-Waller-Bridge-forged-a-special-bond-3.jpg?w=700&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.<\/span> Lucasfilm<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n