‘Eternals’ director Chloé Zhao on casting Harry Styles: “There’s so much of Eros in him”
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Eternals director Chloé Zhao has spoken about casting Harry Styles as Eros in the new Marvel movie.
Styles’ performance as Eros, the brother of Thanos, marks his debut appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – although he only appears in the mid-credits scene.
- READ MORE: Eternals review: a frequently stunning MCU origin story
Speaking to Deadline, the Oscar-winning director said: “Harry as Eros was very much a package deal for me. I pitched the idea of Pip the Troll [voiced by Patton Oswald in Eternals] and Eros to Kevin [Feige, Marvel Studios boss] a while back, and I love the idea of exploring an Eternal who is beyond Titan and who may have influenced Thanos throughout the years the same way Eternals influenced us, earthlings.”
She continued: “And then, it wasn’t like I suggested Eros, and let’s go find actors. I kept tabs on Harry since Dunkirk, I thought he was very interesting. After meeting him I realised he is that character – the same way I cast the rest of my cast. There’s so much of Eros in him. For me, if he says yes, and Kevin says yes, then it’s a go. And I’m very happy they both did.”
Eternals was released in cinemas yesterday (November 5) and stars Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, Angelina, Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kit Harington and more.
In a four-star review of the film, NME said: “Eternals is frequently stunning without being caked in production gloss: there’s no obvious attempt to scrub up lovably grungy Camden Lock, for instance. By the end you’ll be invested in these characters and ready to debate who should get a standalone movie first: a sure sign that Zhao understood the assignment and executed it with flair.”
According to reports, Eternals will not be shown in cinemas in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait or Qatar due to a same-sex kiss scene, which Disney has refused to edit out. Jolie responded to the reports, saying: “I’m sad for [those audiences]. And I’m proud of Marvel for refusing to cut those scenes out.
“How anybody is angry about it, threatened by it, doesn’t approve or appreciate it is ignorant.”
