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‘Eternals’ director Chloé Zhao on casting “very interesting” Eros cameo

"It was very much a package deal for me"

By Tom Skinner

Chloé Zhao wears black and speaks into a Marvel microphone
'Nomadland' director Chloé Zhao. CREDIT: Marvel Entertainment YoTube channel

‘Eternals’ director Chloé Zhao has spoken of securing Harry Styles as Eros in the new Marvel film.

Styles makes a cameo appearance as the brother of Thanos during the mid-credits scene of the movie, which was released last Friday (November 5).

During a recent interview with Deadline, Zhao explained: “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’ stars the likes of Angelina, Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kit Harington, Richard Madden and Gemma Chan.

An official synopsis reads: “The epic story, spanning thousands of years, features a group of immortal heroes forced out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s oldest enemy, The Deviants.”

Early reactions to the film described it as “spectacularly weird” and “soulful & thoughtful” while hailing the cast’s “great chemistry”.

‘Eternals’ features the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first-ever deaf superhero, Makkari, played by Lauren Ridloff (‘The Walking Dead’, ‘New Amsterdam’, ‘Sound of Metal’) and the studio’s first gay superhero, Phastos, portrayed by Brian Tyree Henry (‘This Is Us’, ‘Boardwalk Empire’, ‘How to Get Away with Murder’).

Meanwhile, Harry Styles recently helped a fan come out to her mother during his ‘Love On Tour’.

Elsewhere on the run of dates, the star dressed up as Dorothy from The Wizard Of Oz for his ‘Harryween Fancy Dress Party’ and covered Britney Spears’ classic single ‘Toxic’.