Eternals star Kumail Nanjiani opened up about his insane body transformation and how the Bollywood stars of yesteryear served as motivation.
Kumail Nanjiani is expected to break through barriers next month when he debuts as Kingo in Marvel’s Eternals as the first North American South Asian superhero. To star as the immortal alien, Nanjiani got himself into tip-top shape that literally broke the internet. It was an extremely surprising transformation that drew praise from everyone, including a strip club.
In a GQ profile ahead of the Marvel film’s release, Kumail Nanjiani discussed the importance of playing Kingo as a South Asian.
“If I’m playing the first South Asian superhero, I want to look like someone who can take on Thor or Captain America, or any of those people.”
The Eternals star then continued by discussing how the Bollywood stars of the past motivated him to get into his best shape.
“From the ’60s to the ’90s I know basically every big [one]. I was like, I want this to be believable. I want to feel that kind of powerful in this role.”
Nanjiani also discussed how the role of Kingo breaks the typical roles offered to South Asians.
“With brown people, there are very specific roles that we used to get. Either we’re terrified or we’re causing terror. Those are the only two options we had. Either I’m fixing your computer, or I’m, like, planning something at the stock exchange.”
Here is the synopsis for Eternals:
“The story takes place across two time periods. One storyline is set in the past when they operated as a formidable team and a close family unit. The second storyline is in the present, when the group has fractured and split apart, content to live among humans, hiding in plain sight. The prevailing threat of the Deviants, which once again threatens the existence of mankind, means the Eternals need to put their differences aside and regroup.”
Chloe Zhao directs Eternals from a script she co-wrote with Patrick Burleigh, Kaz Firpo, and Ryan Firpo. The cast of the Marvel Studios project includes Gemma Chan as Sersi, Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Barry Keoghan as Druig, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Kit Harington as Dane Whitman, Salma Hayek as Ajak and Angelina Jolie as Thena.
Eternals will hit theaters on November 5, 2021. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the upcoming Marvel film and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.
Source: GQ
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