Daya Vaidya discusses portraying DC's Onomatopoeia in Superman & Lois season 3 and her ties to Bruno Mannheim. Things are heating up on Superman & Lois, and the show's leading duo is on a mission to stop Bruno Mannheim, the new big bad of season 3. However, Bruno isn't the only new threat in town, as the Arrowverse drama officially adapted Onomatopoeia from the pages of DC into the world of live-action.
Superman & Lois has put their own spin on Onomatopoeia, turning the supervillain into none other than Bruno's wife, Peia Mannheim, played by Daya Vaidya. As Peia is bonding closer with Lois Lane, who is also dealing with breast cancer, Superman & Lois season 3 have slowly begun to get deeper into the Mannheim family and what is driving them. With only six more episodes to go for the ongoing season, things are starting to come together.
Screen Rant recently chatted with Vaidya about what it meant to bring the Kevin Smith-created DC character to Superman & Lois season 3. Throughout the interview, Vaidya discussed how the Mannheim couple isn't the typical villains that comic book viewers are used to and teased what's coming up in the back half of the season.
Daya Vaidya Talks Onomatopoeia in Superman & Lois
Screen Rant: Were you a big comic book fan before booking the show?
Daya Vaidya: I was kind of peripherally interested, meaning I wasn't a huge fan. But I always wanted to be in a superhero movie or TV show always since as long as I can . It was one of my dreams, actually. So when this came along, I didn't even know that it was going to be that. When I found out after being cast, it was a huge surprise and I was beyond excited, because literally, I didn't think it was going to happen ever! [laughs]
Was this one of those classic situations where they say it's a mystery character when you did your audition, and then they say, 'Oh, by the way, you're playing this character from the comics?'
Daya Vaidya: That's exactly what happened. They didn't want to do the reveal in the casting, I think, so they kept it really secret. I didn't find out until after getting cast and after speaking, finally, to the producers and writers that I found out it was Onomatopoeia. It was a shock, and the first day I got to try on the super suit, that was the moment! [laughs]
The mask you wear, is real, or is that CGI? Because I couldn't tell if you were wearing something practical.
Daya Vaidya: Yeah, there's two masks. They are both physical - one mask is so they can do all of the special effects. Then the second one is just a physical mask that they can shoot when she's not killing [laughs] or when she's not destroying something!
Like Onomatopoeia's resting face! [laughs]
Daya Vaidya: It's the resting mask face, and then we have the other mask, which is when the destruction happens, so it's an actual mask, for sure. It was tricky, we had to fit it in so that I could breathe, and the logistics of it were tricky, but we made it work.
One of Chad's favorite scenes was that moment when Peia gives him a look with the mask on, and Bruno says, 'Don't look at me like that!' But it's so funny because you can't actually see her reaction. [laughs]
Daya Vaidya: Yeah, he was hilarious with that because sometimes you can't see my reaction, so he would mess with me. He was funny all the time. While we were between takes, he was like, 'What are you looking at me like that for?' auto? Why are you looking at me?' [laughs]
Have you gone and looked into the work Kevin Smith did with Onomatopoeia in the comics? Because your version is obviously very different from what Kevin did.
Daya Vaidya: Yeah, once I found out the character, I dived in, for sure. I did all my research, and I read everything I could possibly read up. There's not a whole lot because he, at that time, was never put on screen. Most of the stuff was just in the comic book realm, and I read up on that. I read up on what Kevin Smith wanted to do and everything I could absorb, I did. I'm trying to get in touch with him to see what he thinks.
You need to get on his podcast because that would be amazing.
Daya Vaidya: Yeah! Hey Kevin, I can talk about Onomatopoeia; let's talk about it!
Talk about working with Chad Coleman and building that chemistry with him. Because I was not prepared for that reveal.
Daya Vaidya: You were shocked and surprised?
At first I was wondering who this sweet woman was to Lois, and then to learn that she was Onomatopoeia? That was a twist!
Daya Vaidya: Oh my god, I love it, that's the whole point, that's the twist. And oh man, we had so much fun with that in of me and Chad having a lot of chemistry. We really clicked right off the bat, and we worked well together. So once we knew we were family - because again, I'm finding out as I'm reading the scripts. I'm discovering everything as it's happening. Once we found that out, we had so much fun.
I knew that I was going to be important to Chad's [character]. The writers asked me, 'How much do you want to know in advance?' Because Wole [Parks, who plays Steel] we were laughing because he doesn't like to know anything in advance. He did not want to know, and so the writers asked me, 'Do you want to know?' and I said 'Well, I want to know a little bit.' They were kind of hinting to me,'You're going to be very close to Chad, and you guys are maybe going to be family.' So I was getting the hint, but it was a dance, definitely.
How much more are we going to learn about their marriage, how she got powers, and all of that?
âââââââDaya Vaidya: There's a couple of episodes coming up that are going to be just so fantastic. I'm so excited. For the next one and the one after, you really are going to get a more deep dive into Peia's background, why they're where they are, and how it happened. Some of the mythology that we chose to go on - because we were in the Arrowverse but we also play off of it. I think I'm really excited for the fans to see how the writers used what's happening in the mythology of Superman and Bruno Mannheim but also had tangents out from it. Some really cool relationships are going to form - there are more spoilers, and there's more stuff!
Bruno and Peia don't feel like the typical villains that we are used to today. There's somehow a moral gray side to both of them, would you say I am onto something? They're not just wanting to rule the world or destroy it or anything like that, there is something more to it.
âââââââDaya Vaidya: No, you're right on! That's exactly what we're talking about this season; I think cancer is the villain. Lois says it herself; this cancer is actually the villain of the season. Because it's complicated when you're dealing with Bruno and Peia, and why they're doing what they're doing. It blurs the moral lines. If you're trying to save someone's life, how far would you go to save someone you love?
It's tricky. Are they evil, or are they trying to save someone's life? We play around a lot with that. Is Peia actually evil? When she's Onomatopoeia, that's the juxtaposition between Peia and Onomatopoeia, so when you see me with Bitsie [Tulloch], and you see me working with Lois, there's a sweetness, and then she's also a destroyer. So we purposely played with those two things, the writers and me as the actor.
On that note, talk about that dynamic with Lois. I feel she actually cares about Lois. Do you think that will maybe complicate things for Peia later in the season?
âââââââDaya Vaidya: Oh, you're good! You're right on it. You're picking up on all of the nuances! Yeah, that is 100% also going to be an issue. It's not exciting if I don't really care. I really do care - I think it's a surprising relationship [to her.] When I get closer, that's real. How much am I trying to get something? How much of it is real? I think I want the audience to wonder that, but I would say that I was surprised by how fun she was and how much of our relationship clicked.
Peia gets a little shaken by the idea that Lois is investigating Bruno. I think we saw Peia start to crack there a bit, like, 'How dare you accuse my husband and try to expose him like that?'
âââââââDaya Vaidya: Oh, God, exactly. That's exactly right. When I got that script and I saw that she was talking about what happened, what he's done - that's the thing, he transformed Hobbs Bay. I love the line when he says to Superman when he was flying by 'But you didn't stop here. You didn't fly by us.' That's a really important line and episode, I believe, it's in episode four that he says that to him. Because that's the whole point, 'Wait, we're on our own, Superman. You were going to Metropolis but what about Hobbs Bay? What ? We had to take it into our own hands.' That kind of models a little bit with our world and social justice; we have all these little layers.
That's exactly what I and Chad were talking about, like, 'Did Bruno just call out Superman on his white privilege?' I've never seen that!
âââââââDaya Vaidya: You are so astute! Yes, there are all of those things at play; it's just a trip. That's what I love about these writers. It's not just a little superhero movie or TV show; they are really playing with those different dynamics.
Superman is not ready for that at all!
âââââââDaya Vaidya: And how he grows from that. How is he going to change over this season? How is Lois going to change over the season with being confronted with these things? That's the other thing about this; they have to deal with that and how do they grow? Watch for that, too , because that's really a cool part of this season.
That's a nice contrast because here are these two married couples who are, in their own ways, trying to save the world and change it for the better. But Peia and Bruno are doing it differently because they weren't given the same attention as someone like Lois Lane or Superman would get.
âââââââDaya Vaidya: Jai Jamison is one of the writers on our show, and he also directed episode 11. He's the one who pitched the whole idea of Onomatopoeia this season. He's one of our Black writers in the room, and he is so talented and so smart. He was thinking about all this stuff, I think, from the beginning.
I will say that we were on a plane ride home from Canada when he told me that he was the one that pitched this. I just said 'You were writing this so layered.' It's because he, along with the other writers in the room, thought about important things. That's just representation, and that's really important, and we appreciate it. That's why representation matters in the writers room. Had we not had that, I don't know if someone else would have understood it to that level that he did - maybe, but we got to tell a story that's not always told.
If there weren't those voices of color in the room, I don't think we would have had that social undertone of, 'Superman is doing all these things, but he never stopped by Suicide Slums?' Even though he's an alien, Superman is a white man.
âââââââDaya Vaidya: Yeah, and to deal with that, in this day and age, to bring that up into the comic book space, where representation is an issue in the comic book space, that's something that we're all trying to fight for. So to bring that into a CW show, I thought that was bold and really great and creative of the writers. This just makes us have conversations like this and I love how they did it. They did it subtly; they didn't hit you over the head. It was done in a very great, easy way to where if you're thinking about it, it's making you think that's how it should be done. It should make us question everything we take for granted.
When I watched the episode for the first time, it was all so interesting to me. I am listening to what Bruno is saying, and I get it. I don't think I can call either of them villains but rather antagonists. Peia was trying to kill Superman and his son, but there might be a more complicated reason.
âââââââDaya Vaidya: It's complicated, and trying to do it was complicated. Even when we were doing it, I'm like, 'Man, I'm trying to but I'm also befriending your wife, but I'm killing. But all of that was at play. I was thinking about all of that, while I was doing it. I'm like, 'Oh man, I'm really trying to destroy you...hmm' [laughs] But that's what it is, those are human beings and superheroes, too.
There has to be a point where she discovers, 'Oh, Superman is also Lois' husband!' Theoretically, would that complicate things too because suddenly, if her care for Lois is genuine, and she discovered he was her husband, what would happen?
âââââââDaya Vaidya: See, that was another question I had, especially in that first scene when I first met Lois. I do know that she is married to Superman, so I played it that she knows but that she has cancer, and I have cancer. That goes back to where cancer trumps all. It trumps all when you're facing a life-threatening disease; it trumps all of the menial burdens. All of the things that you think are important aren't as important.
That's what I was playing with those scenes because I know who she is. I know what I'm doing, and I even know what she's doing. I don't know how much she's trying to research or get into Hobbs Bay Medical. But I do know who she is, but she's also sick. So that right there, that's the hard part. That's also going to come up - just keep watching because this theme that's through the whole thing. That theme right there is going to be brought up a lot.
This is going to be me asking as a nerd, but did you get to keep the mask?
âââââââDaya Vaidya: Yeah, because my son just said he wanted to have it for Halloween. He literally wants to have it for Halloween. No, I didn't get to keep it because they're going to need it. You never know when they have to do reshoots or what might come in the future. Usually, they keep those things, so yeah
Yeah because I thought the whole time it was a VFX mask. So the fact that you are standing on set with that big thing on, I keep wondering, 'How does she see in that thing?' [laughs]
âââââââDaya Vaidya: It's a mesh that's designed to basically where you can't see in but you can see out - it's that special kind of mesh. I don't know what they used, but it was very controlled and then we also had to - if you notice, when the reveal happens - the reveal has to be pulled off in a special way, it had to be a magnetic attachment. That was the costume designer; she's amazing. Her name is Kat, and her wardrobe alone was just incredible. She designed the whole thing. There's like a super hero team [for costumes] they help you with it. They are the ones that help, so they put a lot of time and effort into the superhero and the supervillain costumes.
I Kevin Smith always saying, 'Oh, I don't know if they could ever bring this villain to life.' And then they basically go 'Hold my beer.'
âââââââDaya Vaidya: Right, he did - I think they took the challenge. This is another thing Jai said, he was like, 'Listen, that was a challenge.' They didn't think that it could really be a visual character because she's all about sound in the comic books. How do we make this visual? They figured out a way and that's why it's so cool. She has powers that can rival Superman without the Kryptonite.
That's what I loved about the fight sequence in the episode, she actually challenges him.
âââââââDaya Vaidya: Yeah, it wasn't just Kryptonite; he got down because of her sonic blasts. That's another one I can tease that just wait till the end of this thing. It is so crazy how far they go with this. It's when I started getting the scripts near the end that literally Chad and I were calling each other we were like, 'Oh my God, can you believe it?!' It was next-level writing on this stuff - I couldn't believe they blew me away when I was reading the script. So I just can't wait till the audience gets to see it.
On that note, can you give me something about the finale? What blows you away about the finale?
âââââââDaya Vaidya: Oh, the finale... Yeah, I can't say anything! Anything I would say would give it away. It's just big; that's the only way to describe it. We thought last season with worlds colliding was big? [laughs] They know how to do big endings, I will say.
What else are you working on right now outside of Superman & Lois?
âââââââDaya Vaidya: It's funny. I left Canada [after doing all the] cancer and superhero stuff. I immediately came back here and started on The Black Hamptons, which is the complete opposite thing. It's like Dynasty set in the Hamptons. It's all makeup, hair, dresses, and gorgeous. It was fun to go from that to this and that's what I'm shooting right now in L.A.
I've talked to other people who work on some of the other Vancouver shows that one ticket back to LA, and it is completely opposite there; ho snow and no rain. How long did it take for you to get accustomed to filming in Vancouver?
âââââââDaya Vaidya: Good question. Not too long, but it was an adjustment because it's different out there, it's freezing and you're filming in that plus the night shoots. There's one coming up, but I'll just say that when we were shooting outside, there were literal rats going through the set.
We were outside shooting and we were making jokes that the rats are like the extras! [laughs] Because literally the director would go 'Action!' and the rats will go but it fit the scenes. The scenes are supposed to be dark and it was really high stakes. I won't say who I'm battling, but it's high stakes and the rats are like going and I was just saying 'Are these rats like for real? Okay!'
Please don't tell me there's not a close-up on the road because I can't deal with rats!
âââââââDaya Vaidya: I don't think they got any close-ups. But if you look closely, I'm sure - someone, in fact, when that episode airs, I'm going to look closer because I'm sure on one of those tapes, you're going to see some rats going by. We'll reconvene when it airs to see if you see them. They ran right by me!
Then you're stronger than I am. I would go, 'I will film tomorrow morning. I don't care what rewrite y'all got to do. I ain't doing this. I got no time for no rats!'
âââââââDaya Vaidya: Oh my God, that's funny. A lot of people were saying that, but I was like, 'No, I'm Onomatopoeia!' I'm so method, I was like, 'I'm Onomatopoeia, and no rat will stop me!' Yeah, I was one with the rats. [laughs]
That's the quote of the day! Thank you so much for your time today, and congratulations on what has been a really engaging season. I can't wait to see where Peia is going.
âââââââDaya Vaidya: Thank you so much, thank you!
About Superman & Lois Season 3
Season three of SUPERMAN & LOIS opens weeks after Superman’s blowout defeat of Ally Allston. Clark (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois (Elizabeth Tulloch) are now working at the Smallville Gazette together and enjoying small-town life. But the Kents’ romantic bliss only shines a light on how isolating “the secret” can be, as Chrissy (Sofia Hasmik) struggles to balance a new love interest and her friendship with Lois.
However, Lois’ own work-life balance is put to the test when an undercover assignment reveals a deadly foe that promises to change the Kent family forever. Superman would move heaven and earth for his family, but with a villain this merciless, even that might not be enough. Meanwhile, the Kent boys find themselves being pulled in opposite directions as Jordan (Alex Garfin) discovers what a superhero identity really means, and Jonathan (Michael Bishop) searches for purpose beyond the football field.
Amid all this upheaval, John Henry (Wolé Parks) is haunted by his doppelgänger’s past, leading to dangerous consequences for him and Natalie (Tayler Buck). Lana Lang (Emmanuelle Chriqui) and Kyle (Erik Valdez) redefine their family post-separation, while Sarah (Inde Navarrette) explores what the future holds for her and Jordan now that she knows the truth about his powers. Having learned the hard way that no one else can be trusted to work with Superman, General Samuel Lane (Dylan Walsh) reclaims his post at the Department of Defense, only to face his own conflict in working with his grandson, Jordan.
Check out our other interviews with more Superman & Lois cast :
Superman & Lois season 3 airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.