Kumail Nanjiani, the actor, shared that negative critiques of Eternals, Marvel’s poorly-received blockbuster of 2021, had such a strong impact on him that he sought therapy for it.
During an appearance on Michael Rosenbaum’s podcast, Inside of You, the actor revealed that he struggled with negative reviews and found himself constantly checking for them.
The movie Eternals showcases a team of never-ending extraterrestrials who reveal themselves after centuries of secrecy in order to defend the Earth from their ancient adversaries. Nanjiani portrayed the character of Kingo, an Eternal who craves attention and has the ability to generate cosmic energy blasts. He adopts a persona as a popular Bollywood actor to better fit in with human society.
Nanjiani spent several months training in fitness and dance to get ready for the role. His notable physical change sparked a lot of attention on social media leading up to the release of the film.
There was a lot of excitement surrounding the highly anticipated film, which marked director Chloé Zhao’s return since her Oscar-winning film, Nomadland. The trailers had given a glimpse into the expansive storyline and impressive visuals, which surprisingly did not heavily rely on CGI according to Marvel head Kevin Feige. The film’s diverse cast, including the franchise’s first gay and deaf main characters, received much praise.
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However, the final film was met with mixed reviews from critics. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw stated, “While there are a few standout moments and a refreshing inclusion of diversity, overall the film lacks energy and direction.”
The movie received a 47% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and American viewers who were surveyed by CinemaScore gave it a B grade on average. This is the lowest rating ever received by a Marvel Cinematic Universe film.
Nanjiani stated that it was extremely challenging because Marvel had high expectations for the movie’s reviews. As a result, they lifted the embargo early and showcased it at prestigious film festivals. This also led to a worldwide promotional tour for the movie, which coincided with the lifting of the embargo.
Nanjiani expressed that the unfortunate timing was made more intense due to the fact that the press tour coincided with the ongoing Covid pandemic.
He said that there seemed to be some strange negativity surrounding the movie, but he believes it has little to do with the movie’s actual quality.
“It was extremely difficult, and at that point, I felt it was unjust towards both myself and my wife, Emily. I cannot continue to handle my work in this manner. Changes need to be made, which is why I sought counseling. I still discuss this with my therapist.”
“Emily says that I do have trauma from it,” he continued. “We actually just got dinner with somebody else from that movie and we were like, ‘That was tough, wasn’t it?’ and he’s like ‘Yeah, that was really tough’, and I think we all went through something similar.”
In 2018, Nanjiani and his spouse Emily V Gordon received a nomination for an Oscar in the category of best original screenplay for their romantic comedy film The Big Sick. The film featured Nanjiani alongside Zoe Kazan.
Source: theguardian.com
