The Eternals star Haaz Sleiman shared new details on the relationship between the Marvel film’s gay couple.
Marvel Studios’ phase 4 line-up will include The Eternals, a film centered on the eponymous extra-terrestrial beings tasked with protecting Earth. In addition to featuring the most diverse cast of any Marvel Studios film, The Eternals will also include the first openly gay superhero in a lead role.
While the long-overdue inclusion of a gay superhero was welcomed by most fans, little is known about how The Eternals will approach its depiction of the first openly LGTBQ+ superhero to play a lead role in a Hollywood blockbuster. However, The Eternals star Haaz Sleiman shed new light on the relationship between his character and Brian Tyree Henry’s Phastos:
“I’m married to the gay superhero Phastos, played by Atlanta’s Brian Tyree Henry, and we represent a gay family and have a child.”
Haaz Sleiman also confirmed that The Eternals will feature the first kiss between a gay couple in a superhero blockbuster. Reflecting on the day the kiss was shot, Haaz Sleiman noted the importance of including LGTBQ+ characters in widely-seen projects and commended Brian Tyree Henry for his performance:
“Oh, yeah, absolutely, and it’s a beautiful, very moving kiss. Everyone cried on set. For me it’s very important to show how loving and beautiful a queer family can be. Brian Tyree Henry is such a tremendous actor and brought so much beauty into this part, and at one point I saw a child in his eyes, and I think it’s important for the world to be reminded that we in the queer community were all children at one point. We forget that because we’re always depicted as sexual or rebellious. We forget to connect on that human part.”
Are you excited to finally see an openly gay superhero in a lead role? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Here is the official synopsis for Marvel Studios’ The Eternals:
“Marvel Studios’ The Eternals features an exciting new team of Super Heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, an unexpected tragedy forces them out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s most ancient enemy, The Deviants.
Directed by Chloé Zhao from a script written by Matthew K. Firpo and Ryan Firpo, The Eternals stars Richard Madden as Ikaris, Gemma Chan as Sersi, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayak as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Barry Keoghan as Druig, and Angelina Jolie as Thena. Kit Harrington was cast as Dane Whitman.
The Eternals will be released in theaters on November 6, 2020.
Source: New Now Next
