Marvel’s new movie Eternals is hitting theaters today and with it ushers a new group of heroes for us to enjoy. I’ve seen people before asking where is there to go in the Marvel Cinematic Universe now that the Infinity Saga is done? Well, if 2021 has been any indication, it’s that there’s a lot possible for the Marvel universe moving forward.
We had the fortune of attending a virtual press conference for Eternals, where Marvel head Kevin Feige spoke about introducing and exploring these powerful characters:
“It was in a post-Infinity saga world, we wanted to make a bold new step and say you don’t know everything about the universe yet and that there are these 10 spectacular heroes who you haven’t met who’ve been here the whole time.”
Eternals has a lot of star power, including powerhouse actress Angelina Jolie. Jolie plays Thena in the Marvel film, who is a strong warrior that protects both humans and her fellow Eternals. When asked about what attracted her to the role, Jolie revealed:
“I was attracted to this project for many reasons. I am a fan of MCU. Was a big fan of Chloe’s. Um, and then when they first talked to me about the story, really, it was the-the cast. It was the idea of what this family would be. And I just wanted to be a part of this family before I even knew very much about who I was gonna play. Um, but as I learned about Thena, and that’s one of the special things that Chloe brings to this, is she’s known for, uh, bringing reality to a film. To somebody’s true self.”
Jolie continued:
“So a lot of us were cast to bring out something from our own lives, something within ourselves, that maybe we weren’t even aware of. And then let it live and let it grow within the film.”
Richard Madden plays Ikaris – who is being dubbed around the internet as the “Superman” for the MCU, as he flies and shoots laser beams from his eyes. Madden speaks about playing Ikaris and what’s attracted him to the role:
“I really loved it. I’m kind of used to playing lovers often. And to play someone who’s such a soldier, but is completely driven by love, all his decisions are driven by love, and it’s actually him that’s wrestling with that, I’m used to characters who are very focused on their love, and that comes out. And with Ikaris, it’s the opposite of that.
He’s kind of trying to bury that love because it gets in the way of his duty and is constantly wrestling the two. And that’s kinda what made it really interesting for me to pull out that relationship with all the characters from Sprite to Sersi, and kind of work out what this relationship is when you’re trying to stick to duty, but your feelings get in the way. It’s this kind of eternal soldier wrestling that.”
When asked what the hardest scene to shoot in the Eternals was, Kumail Nanjiani (who plays Kingo in Eternals) revealed:
“Oh, by far the hardest thing was the dancing. I’m gonna put Chloe on the spot. I can’t swear, so put in a swear word here. Chloe lied to me [Chloe laughs]. When we first talked about the movie, she was like, ‘There’s a Bollywood dance sequence’ and I was like, ‘Chloe, I don’t think I can do that. She’s like, ‘Okay, we’ll make it a Bollywood action scene’. And then soon as I got to London, she’s like, [LAUGH] ‘It’s a dance sequence’.”
Nanjiani continued:
“And I was like, ‘Get me a dance teacher right now then’. And Nileeka who did the choreography was wonderful. Worked with me for months and months to do that because it was so outside my comfort zone. But really, you know, ultimately, for me, all that came down to trust. It really did. You know, on the macro level, trusting Kevin because he’s made so many MCU movies, and they’re all great.”
One aspect about the movie is the love triangle between Gemma Chan’s Sersi, Kit Harrington’s Dane, and Madden’s Ikaris. The host of the press event brought up with how Dane deals with the “craziness” that Sersi is involved with and how he still seems totally in love with her. This is something Harrington commented on:
“He’s a nice guy. You know, it’s me and Phastos’ husband and kid who are representing humanity, and I felt that from the beginning, I had to represent something that was worth saving, maybe. And I think a hope that Dane comes across as a nice, standup guy. And one thing I really respect him for is that a man flies out of the sky and shoots lasers out of his eyes and steals his girlfriend, and he’s kinda cool with it.”
Eternals is in theaters now! For our review of the MCU film, make sure you check out Dom Fisher’s review here.
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A girl with too many fandoms to count.
