Eternals co-star Gemma Chan opened up on how the film’s characterization process elevates the importance of its proudly multicultural superhero cast without falling into the trope of tokenism.
“You know what, it feels like, we talked about this quite a lot,” Chan explained at the Eternals world premiere. “When we kind of met each other and had worked together for a bit, we realized that we’d been cast… that there were elements of us in our characters and that’s why we were cast. So, you know, it is diversity cast but it doesn’t feel tokenistic. It feels like we’ve been cast because we are…” to which the reporter interrupted by dubbing her a “superhero.”
Some standout diversity inclusions to the adaptation of Jack Kirby’s Marvel team include Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first deaf superhero, and Brian Tyree Henry’s Phastos as its first openly gay hero. Korean actor Don Lee (i.e. Ma Dong-seok), whose previously acclaimed roles include Train to Busan and The Outlaws, will also make his Hollywood debut as Eternals member Gilgamesh, while the Mexican-born and Pakistani American actors Salma Hayek and Kumail Nanjiani will play Ajak and Kingo respectively.
Of Eternals‘ cast, Chan is the only actor to previously appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having portrayed Kree Starforce agent Minn-Erva in Captain Marvel. In Eternals, she plays Sersi, the film’s primary character whose mission to reunite the Eternals in the 21st century also connects to her millennia-long relationship with fellow teammate Ikaris (Richard Madden) and current romantic interest Dane Whitman, played by Madden’s fellow Game of Thrones co-star Kit Harrington. This reunion is crucial to stopping a planet-threatening event known as “The Emergence,” which coincides with the return of creatures known as Deviants whom the Eternals battled on Earth millennia ago. Chan also explained that Sersi’s powers align with “the Thinkers” side of the Eternals, whereas Ikaris uses his for more offensive capabilities, as seen in a clip where the Eternals battle Deviants with their powers to protect early humans.
Directed by Chloé Zhao, Eternals debuts in theaters on Nov. 5.
Source: Twitter
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