While Eternals may not be the most recognizable title from Marvel Comics, the upcoming film based on the heroes will have one of the most diverse casts in MCU history. Actress Lauren Ridloff recently did an interview and discussed the challenges of being a deaf actress during the filming of the Marvel Studios film.
For those who don't know, Ridloff will be playing the hero known as Makkari, who is the "speedster" of the group and the fastest person in the universe. Marvel Studios' version of this Eternals character will be not only a woman, but they will also be deaf, which enables her to run without being hurt by the boom of the sound waves caused by increased speeds.
During an interview with the New York Times, Ridloff said, "In some scenes, I had to face a wall. As a deaf person, how do you cue me? At one point, I was sharing my frustration with Angelina Jolie. And she immediately made a suggestion: why don’t we use a laser pen that special effects can easily erase?.. It was an 'Aha, wow' moment," the actress said. "Whenever I’m looking at a wall, the interpreters would use a laser pen to make a circle on the wall — 'rolling, rolling, rolling' — and once it went away that meant, 'Action!'"
Ridloff is not only an actress but also a mother. Her children are also deaf and she discussed what this role meant for her and her family. "My two boys, who are also deaf, will grow up in a world where there are superheroes who are deaf… it means they’ll be able to dream a bit more wildly," she said. We're in times where people are starting to be more mindful of the superheroes they write in these projects, and Eternals appears to include different types of heroes.
Before, superheroes were these beings that rarely included minority demographics and were a lot less relatable. Today, people are starting to voice their concerns about the lack of representation. Superheroes should reflect our world and our world isn't only just white men. So, with that being said, it's nice to see Marvel Studios add a character with a disability to their roster, as that wouldn't stop someone of her magnitude. Hopefully, they do her character justice and she gets a good amount of screen time.
Ridloff also has many other works such as The Walking Dead, where she plays Connie, Sound of Metal, Legacies, and If You Could Hear My Own Tune. Hopefully, she gets a lot more credit and eyes on her work after her Marvel debut.
Eternals will be in theaters on November 5th, 2021.
Source: New YorkTimes