London Thor: A Real Life Superhero

“Jordan is such an interesting character to be able to play. There’s never been anything like it before that I know of – getting to work with another actor [in the same role]. I think the most interesting thing about the character itself is probably the fact that Jordan is one of the only characters that truly wants to be good.”

Derek Luh plays her counterpart, the male version of Jordan.

“We only had one sit-down meeting to talk about the character where we made a little list of personality traits and did a little background training together. But everything came very easily with Derek and we ended up being very similar and very different in a lot of ways that helped with this character. We worked together like ying and yang."

All in all, Jordan is the perfect role for London as even in her personal life, she has a soft spot for superheroes. Gen V was a project unlike any other she had done before. “I'm a big superhero nerd and a big fan of the Marvel universe. So that was exciting," she says. "It was just never something that I saw myself doing. So it was a challenge. There's, in some ways, more demure roles and projects that are easier than this stuff because this is larger than life. You have stunt work involved which was so much fun. You have all these giant events that are out of your control as opposed to indie movies which I love as well, but it's just a completely different challenge – which I was so excited to take on especially getting to do stunts at work. That was fun.”

There are plenty of superpowers ruling the Gen V universe. If London could have a superpower in real life, it would be to be able to read other people's minds. “I'm such a control freak that I would love to be able to have mind control. I would love to. That'd be cool to read other people's minds. But then I was sitting in traffic the other day thinking about it. And I thought that it would be fun to be able to have the ability to communicate telepathically with people.”

In real life, though, performing is her superpower. She has previously starred in Greta Gerwig’s Ladybird, in the third season of Never Have I Ever, in You, and in Shameless. Not only is the 26-year-old a talented actress, but she is also a gifted singer and songwriter. Her songs have appeared in films and television shows such as The Girl on the Train and Girls Like Magic.

London tells me that she loved being on set with her co-stars. “We got really lucky. We had a cast that was cohesive and kind and welcoming,” she says One thing she learned on set is how to get fake blood off yourself, she tells me and laughs.

“I just learned how to work as a team with this cast. Everyone was so sweet and supportive. We all want each other to succeed. Getting to learn how to help each other and how to help and support your fellow actors and your scene partners helps create a great show.“

The flming of Gen V took place in Toronto, Canada. London tells me all about her favorite places – ones that I’ll be saving for my next trip. “We went to a place called Akira Back that I used to go to all the time and the Parlour which is a pizza place that we would go to," she says. "I remember I got to go to Center Island which was fun. And I'm excited to go back. I'm excited to go and explore now that I know a little bit more.”

In the future, London will be working on the second season of Gen V and so much more. “We're going back for season two, which is exciting. And I just wrapped a small indie film that my brother actually wrote and directed about a month ago, which is a sci-fi thriller film that we shot in LA which was fun. And then we also have another project that I'm working on with my brother as well. We're gonna be working on a project shooting in Indiana at some point next year.”

For her, anything is possible. When I ask her what her favourite advice someone has given to her is, she tells me that her mom once told her that if you want something, there’s always a way to make it happen. “That’s something I had to remind myself on set. There were days that were challenging, things that were out of my comfort zone.” For her, getting out of her comfort zone means accepting your flaws and insecurities – a piece of advice and sentiment we can all relate to.

When we touch on what she wants to manifest for herself this year, she tells me about her dream to play more fantasy roles.

“I have several fantasy dream roles that I would love to manifest this year. I recently fell back into reading fantasy novels. So now my obsession and hyper fixation is on playing a fantasy role.”

We dive deeper into her love for reading and we exchange our current reads, which include Colleen Hoover books. 

If London wasn't an actress, she would probably film documentaries or be a wildlife photographer. “[I'd do] something with animals. I was a huge Steve Irwin fan when I was a kid, as everyone was, I'm assuming," she laughs. "So, something to do with that. I'm a big animal show and documentary person so maybe a photographer. I don't know if I could be a wildlife photographer or cinematographer or something like that because I don't know if I would be able to not interfere with the animals.” She could also imagine becoming a zookeeper, she tells me, and laughs and reminisces on the time she wore a zookeeper costume to school.

If London could be remembered for one thing, it would be her commitment to charity work – another one of her superpowers. “I want to continue working closely with an organization called The People Concern which is a big homelessness and domestic violence nonprofit that centers in LA. Homelessness is a big issue and a big focus of mine. Emotional support for veterans has also been a big thing for me. I've worked with wounded warriors since I was a teenager. I think just providing more mental health support in our country in general."

"Charity is a big thing for me. There's so much more I want to do."

Gen V is now available to stream on Amazon Prime.