Star Angelina Jolie commented on the diversity of Eternals cast, questioning why Marvel took so long to put a film like this together. Talking to Variety during the film's red carpet premiere, Jolie also underlined how working with a diverse cast felt natural on set.
Ever since the Eternals cast was announced, the movie has been gathering some attention for having queer characters, people of color, and even deaf actresses Lauren Ridloff as part of the superteam. Commenting on how she perceives the inclusiveness of Eternals, Jolie said that "what's really quite stunning is that when we walked out all of us together, it didn't feel like, 'This is so new and cool,' it felt like, 'This is how it always should have been.'" The star also wondered why Marvel didn’t put a team like this together. In Jolie’s words, "Why did it take so long? It felt so right."
Jolie also said she hopes Eternals can help people realize how normal it is for people from different backgrounds to become superheroes. To Jolie, The phenomenon should not be seen as something special. As Jolie puts it:
"I could say many things, and I could go on for a while, but I think... it is so good to just bust a hole right in that... What I hope is that when people watch this film, they're not seeing it and saying, 'Oh, this is a film about diversity. This is a film that shows this person can be a superhero,' they'll just say, 'Well of course that person's a superhero, and of course that person also is. Of course.' And more shame on us for every questioning that they couldn't be because, 'Of course.'"
Eternals stars GemmaChan as Sersi, RichardMadden as Ikaris, KumailNanjiani as Kingo, LiaMcHugh as Sprite, BrianTyreeHenry as Phastos, Ridloff as Makkari, BarryKeoghan as Druig, DonLee as Giglamesh, SalmaHayek as Ajak, and Jolie as Thena. In addition to these heroes, KitHarington will play Dane Whitman, also known as the Black Knight.
Eternals is written and directed by Chloé Zhao, won Best Director and Best Picture at the 2021 Oscars for Nomadland. The movie will explain why the Eternals stood down when Thanos wiped out half the universe and introduce a new cosmic super team to help Earth’s Mightiest Heroes fight menaces coming from space and alternate dimensions.
Eternals comes exclusively to theaters on November 5.