Entertainment

Film: Gemma Chan: ‘It’s amazing that there will be young boys and girls seeing themselves represented’

Eternals is the 25th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the first to feature a deaf character. Georgia Humphreys finds out more...

Richard Madden as Ikaris and Gemma Chan as Sersi in Eternals
Richard Madden as Ikaris and Gemma Chan as Sersi in Eternals Richard Madden as Ikaris and Gemma Chan as Sersi in Eternals

A STAR-STUDDED cast (Angelina Jolie, no less), a multi-millennial-spanning story, and 10 superheroes who have never been seen before on screen; it can only be the latest Marvel film.

But while it has all the usual epic action scenes and exciting characters, Eternals, about a race of immortal aliens who arrived on Earth thousands of years ago to protect humanity, is being hailed as ground-breaking.

Not only is this the most international and diverse cast from the Marvel Cinematic Universe [MCU] to date, but the spectacle also introduces us to fighter Makkari.

Her cosmic energy makes her the fastest woman in the universe and she is also MCU’s first deaf character.

Chicago-born Lauren Ridloff (43), who has starred in drama series The Walking Dead, and is also a former Miss Deaf America, takes on the role of Makkari, and it is clear just how much of an impact seeing this representation on-screen will have on audiences.

“We’ve just come from Italy, I was with Angelina, and we were talking to some kids that have watched the film, and one of them was a deaf child and he was very moved that there was a deaf superhero,” recalls Game Of Thrones’ Kit Harington (he plays human Dane Whitman, who has a special connection with one of the Eternals, Sersi, played by Gemma Chan).

“It really touched us because I think that, if you look at it from that perspective, it’s finally someone talking your language in a film; rather than you reading subtitles, it’s someone reaching out and saying something that you can understand.

“And it’s really stayed with me, that moment on this tour.”

“It’s amazing that there will be young boys and girls seeing themselves represented in a film like this, maybe for the first time,” follows Crazy Rich Asians star Chan (38), who hails from London.

“I also hope we’re moving towards a point where it’s no longer a big deal that we have a diverse cast like this. It’s not just about race, ethnicity, it’s about ability, sexual orientation…”

Of Eternals, which is directed by Chinese filmmaker Chloe Zhao, who’s known for Nomadland, Chan adds: “These characters that have been around since the dawn of civilisation, it just makes sense that they should represent the beauty and the breadth of humanity.”

Pakistani-American comedian and actor Kumail Nanjiani plays the enthusiastic and confident Eternal Kingo, who is able to create powerful cosmic energy blasts from his hands.

The 43-year-old recalls how he was talking to Ridloff on set, and she used the phrase ‘deaf gain’, which refers to the advantages being deaf has, as opposed to seeing hearing loss as a negative.

“I had never heard that phrase before, and you watch the movie and you really see the ways of ‘Deaf Gain’,” says the star, who was nominated for an Oscar for original screenplay for The Big Sick, which he also starred in.

“And just working with her (Ridloff) was so special.”

The Eternals, which also includes the likes of powerful warrior Thena, played by Jolie, originate from a distant planet called Olympia.

As represented by the cast, the Eternals on Earth are a diverse and powerful group.

They also share cosmic energy which manifests as different powers within each individual which compliment each other.

Interestingly, if they are connected and in proximity with eachother, they can pool their energy together to create the Uni-Mind, a concept that allows the superheroes to amplify the power of any single Eternal.

The other notable aspect of the film, inspired by Jack Kirby’s original Eternals Marvel comic books, which were first published in 1976, is that it takes place across two timelines.

There is the past when the Eternals operated as a formidable team and a close family unit, and the present, which sees the group split apart, living among humans.

But the Deviants, a monstrous race of alien predators, threatening the existence of mankind means they must put their differences aside and come together once again.

“I feel very lucky that this is my second go in the MCU, and this time, I’m not painted blue, so that was great, saved four hours in hair and makeup,” quips Chan, who also starred in in 2019’s Captain Marvel as Minn-Erva.

“I was a huge fan of the MCU before I joined it, I never expected to be part of it.

“To get a chance to play these characters that are 1,000s of years old, they’ve been through all these different time periods…”

“That’s what really appealed to me, is the idea of playing a character that is 5-7,000 years old,” follows Richard Madden, star of hit BBC drama, The Bodyguard.

The Scottish actor (35), revelled in playing Ikaris, who can fly and blast powerful beams from his eyes.

“This piece for my character is all to do with Gemma’s character, Sersi, and love,” he teases.

“And that’s something that is really great to explore, and also just to work out who all these people are and what relationships they’ve all had between each other.”

The film meant a reunion for Madden and Harington, who played Robb Stark and Jon Snow respectively in the hit HBO series Game Of Thrones even if, in both projects, they actually have a very limited amount of screen together.

“We’ve been friends for a long time,” gushes Londoner Harington (34).

“We’ve come up in the industry together.

“We were 21 starting (Game of) Thrones, and we were just so excited about it, and looking back, we were just little kids.

“And then being in Camden on a Marvel set together, it doesn’t leave you, how special that is.”

While Game Of Thrones was also a huge production, Harington says the difference with Marvel is that it has the sway to shut down the usually bustling Camden High Street, in London, for filming.

Playing Jon Snow did prepare him well for the huge level of secrecy surrounding the world of Marvel though.

“I think it’s the best schooling there is.

“I do feel having gone through nine years of press for Thrones and having to keep secrets that I’m probably as trained up as you can be for this type of press.”

In general, joining the MCU often gives the cast members brand new opportunities in their careers.

“I haven’t had a chance to explore being a superhero in the past, or (be) part of a franchise that is actually the biggest one ever, or to explore being a part of the most diverse cast that’s ever been made in a film, a lot of exploration,” notes Mexican-American actress Salma Hayek (55), who takes on the role of Ajak, the matriarch and the spiritual leader of the Eternals.

“And it’s not my first time, but it is a rare jewel to be able to work with a female director.”

The Eternals is released in cinemas on Friday November 5