Given how difficult the last few years have been for Marvel Studios, one has to wonder if any of the earlier movies will be given a second look. Eternals is the first flick that immediately springs to mind. But after seeing some of the recent movies, like Secret Invasion or Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, you kind of miss Barry Keoghan’s Eternals, with its lavish cinematography and cast of A-list actors giving it their all. Though that is a topic for another time, we can all agree that his portrayal of Druig was quite impressive. You would not believe how director Chloé Zhao inspired him for the role.
The Irish star spoke briefly about his role’s preparation for Eternals in a GQ interview. No, he did not discuss some ridiculous diet and exercise regimen. Rather, he clarified, the majority of his training for the Druig role was focused on learning how to be more motionless. Additionally, Zhao insisted that Keoghan base his performance on the Anakin Skywalker character played by Hayden Christensen in the Star Wars franchise. In light of that, he also made a pitch to Marvel. He would like to see his character get a solo film if the studio decides to proceed with a sequel to the 2021 film.
Eternals Star Barry Keoghan Has a Unique Pitch for New Marvel Flick
Eternals, the 26th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, introduced Druig and his incredibly powerful mind control, adding a unique element to the already diverse group of heroes in the 2021 film. Under Chloé Zhao‘s direction, the movie tells the tale of the Eternals, a group of people with special abilities and an almost unbreakable physiology.
Barry Keoghan recently had a conversation with GQ about his most recognizable roles. Regarding the potential for a Druig spinoff or an Eternals 2, the actor revealed that
“I’d love to see just a movie of him playing about mind-controlling everyone. No, really, motive, just mind-controlling for the sake of it. Prep for superhero movies is that you need to humanize. Don’t play for the superhero, try and bring the human side of them out.”
Even though there was a lot of anticipation for Eternals before it was released, the movie ended up getting mixed reviews from critics and viewers after doing poorly at the box office. It made only $402 million worldwide.
Additionally, Keoghan revealed receiving a humorous message from Zhao, in which the latter repeatedly referred to “Hayden Christensen” and wanted the Love/Hate star to remain more “still, very chin high”.
Barry Keoghan Was Advised By Chloé Zhao to Act as Star Wars’ Anakin Skywalker
Barry Keoghan disclosed in an interview with GQ that Chloé Zhao advised him to behave more like Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars films. To quote the Dunkirk actor:
“Chloe kept referencing Hayden Christensen. His character in Star Wars to be a bit more [specific]. She just wanted me to be a bit more still, very chin high. That was the only, really, prep I kinda done was to learn to walk a bit slower. I tried to mind-control people, and people would go, ‘What are you doing? Why are you staring at me?’”
Keoghan portrays Druig in Eternals, a character who uses mind control to manipulate others. However, it is also clear how helpful that chin-up advice was on set because Druig appears to be one of the more aloof Eternals in the superhero 2021 film. He added further:
“You’re doing superhero movies so you’ve got to humanize them. Don’t play the superhero – try and bring the human side of them out. Chloé just kind of let me be me and wanted me to kind of be still.”
Also Read: First Scene For John Ridley’s Canceled Eternals Show Will Creep Out Many Marvel Fans
Apart from securing a few awards and nominations and taking in $402 million at the box office worldwide, Eternals created history by being the first MCU production to not receive mostly positive reviews. The script and pacing in particular drew criticism from critics who felt that they were inferior to Zhao’s previous work and earlier MCU films.
You can watch Eternals on Disney+.
