With Eternals opening in theaters November 5th, I recently got to speak with Kumail Nanjiani and Lauren Ridloff about making the Marvel movie. During the interview, they talked about what it meant joining the MCU, if the Eternals could have beaten Thanos, if they asked Marvel and director Chloé Zhao about how powerful their characters powers were and debated who was the most powerful Eternal on set, and more. In addition, Nanjiani revealed that they changed his powers between his first and second meeting with Marvel, and how his character was originally going to wield two swords.
As you’ve seen in the trailers and clips, Marvel’s Eternals follows a group of heroes from beyond the stars who had protected the Earth since the dawn of man and have lived quietly on our planet for 7,000 years. But when the creatures they had come to Earth to defeat mysteriously return, the group is forced to unite to try and save humanity. Eternals boasts a great ensemble cast, and it stars Gemma Chan as humankind-loving Sersi, Richard Madden as the all-powerful Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as cosmic-powered Kingo, Lia McHugh as the eternally young, old-soul Sprite, Brian Tyree Henry as the intelligent inventor Phastos, Lauren Ridloff as the super-fast Makkari, Barry Keoghan as aloof loner Druig, Don Lee as the powerful Gilgamesh, Kit Harington as Dane Whitman, Salma Hayek as the wise and spiritual leader Ajak, and Angelina Jolie as the fierce warrior Thena. The film was written by Chloé Zhao, Patrick Burleigh, Ryan Firpo, and Kaz Firpo. Kevin Feige and Nate Moore are the producers, with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and Kevin de la Noy serving as executive producers.
Watch what Kumail Nanjiani and Lauren Ridloff had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about.
Kumail Nanjiani and Lauren Ridloff
- What does it mean for each of them to join the MCU?
- Could the Eternals have beaten Thanos?
- When they were cast did they ask Marvel and Chloe about their powers and did they debate who was the most powerful Eternal on set?
- How they changed Nanjiani’s powers between the first and second meeting with Marvel.
- How the film features powers that relate to nature in a way that Marvel hasn’t done before.
