Marvel Studios' Eternals was different from previous MCU in a few ways, but it still took time to lay the groundwork for future projects. Now, Chloe Zhao has shared how exactly a surprise Harry Styles cameo made it into the film.
Spoilers: One of the post-credits scenes of Eternals briefly introduced fans to Styles as Eros, the brother of Thanos. The scene posed several questions for fans, not the least of which concerned the decision to cast Styles in the role.
During an interview with Deadline, Zhao revealed that she “loved 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.” The Eternals director claims that she never once even considered someone else to play the role of Eros besides Styles. Zhao admitted, “Harry as Eros was very much a package deal for me. I pitched the idea of Pip the Troll and Eros to Kevin a while back.” Zhao basically reserved the role for Styles and placed it in the palm of his hand. She even refused to go about casting and hunting for various actors for this specific scene - Zhao only envisioned Styles. She stated, “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 realized he is that character- the same way I cast the rest of my cast. There’s so much Eros in him.”
The thing that is interesting about this statement is that Styles was cast for his role in Dunkirk by director Christopher Nolan for almost identical reasons - a hunch, a sense of familiarity. Just the same as Zhao saw Styles in the 2017 war film and was captivated by the way he seemed to resonate with Eros, Nolan found a similar sense of magnetism to Style’s energy on screen. Dunkirk is centered around World War II, and Nolan claimed that Styles “could have lived in the 1940s when the battle against the Nazis took place."
Nolan stated in an interview, “He has an old-fashioned face. The kind of face that makes you believe he could have been alive in that period. It was a really old-fashioned process, and Harry’s features, ability, and demeanor fitted right in.” Zhao has combined a very dynamic group of actors for the film Eternals. It’s her adamant push for Styles for the surprise cameo that reveals some of her process behind the scenes.
When it comes to filmmaking and casting specifically, it seems Zhao relies a lot on her intuition to guide her to the perfect cast. She seems to be a firm believer in the actor being able to truly relate and connect with their characters in a deep, personal way to who they actually are in their own lives. Zhao said, “For me, if he says yes, and Kevin says yes, then it’s a go. And I’m very happy they both did.”
Eternals is now playing in theaters.
Source: Deadline