Exclusive: Kumail Nanjiani & Lauren Ridloff talk comedy & being a deaf superhero in Marvel's Eternals
Coming to theaters this week from Marvel Studios is “Eternals,” the third film in the MCU’s Phase Four and directed by Academy Award–winner Chloé Zhao.
Marvel Studios’ “Eternals” welcomes an exciting new team of Super Heroes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The epic story, spanning thousands of years, features a group of immortal heroes forced out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s oldest enemy, The Deviants.
The outstanding ensemble cast includes Richard Madden as the all-powerful Ikaris, Gemma Chan as humankind-loving Sersi, Kumail Nanjiani as cosmic-powered Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as the super-fast Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as the intelligent inventor Phastos, Salma Hayek as the wise and spiritual leader Ajak, Lia McHugh as the eternally young, old-soul Sprite, Don Lee as the powerful Gilgamesh, Barry Keoghan as aloof loner Druig, and Angelina Jolie as the fierce warrior Thena. Kit Harington plays Dane Whitman.
As Kingo, Nanjiani is an Eternal who can project cosmic energy projectiles from his hands. Enamored with fame, Kingo becomes a popular Bollywood film star to blend in on Earth. Best known for his role as Dinesh in the HBO comedy series Silicon Valley, Nanjiani also co-wrote and starred in the romantic comedy film The Big Sick, which netted him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. For this film, Nanjiani bulked up and fans go crazy once they saw his new look.
As for Ridloff, she has the honor of playing the first deaf superhero in a Marvel film. She plays Makkari, an Eternal who possesses the power of super-speed. Ridloff is best known for her breakthrough role was her lead performance in the Broadway play Children of a Lesser God, for which she was nominated several awards, including a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She currently plays Connie on the The Walking Dead and was featured in Sound Of Metal opposite Riz Ahmed.
BlackFilmandTV.com’s Wilson Morales caught up with Nanjiani and Ridloff as they talked about the comedy & being a deaf superhero in Marvel's Eternals