(Photo Credits: Screengrab from Marvel Entertainment’s Official YouTube Account)
You can watch Eternals (Chloé Zhao, 2021) on Disney+, guys, as it’s now streaming exclusively on there. So if you missed its showing on the theaters near you on November last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, now is your chance to watch it!
And why should you watch it, you ask? Well, if you’re a fan of superhero movies, then you certainly should not miss it. I already watched it, and it’s safe to say that it’s rating is 7 out of 10. I won’t be spoiling you, of course, but let me just say that the film features the first openly gay hero of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) namely Phastos. His character is played by actor Brian Tyree Henry, who is known for his role as Alfred “Paper Boi” Miles in a series called Atlanta while actor Haaz Sleiman (Little America), plays the role of his husband, Ben.
Yes, they’re married. Yes, they have a son. And yes, they also kissed onscreen.
Sleiman previously spoke to NewNowNext about the kiss. He said:
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.
Because of its depiction of a gay superhero and for showing gay romance onscreen, Eternals was banned in several countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, and Kuwait.
Eternals stars openly bisexual actress Angelina Jolie as well as Gemma Chan (Crazy Rich Asians), Richard Madden (Game of Thrones), Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Harish Patel, Kit Harington, and Salma Hayek. Harry Styles also made an appearance towards the end as Eros, Thanos’ brother.
Happy viewing!
There was an article in the New York Post last week about the BMC Psychology published study showing “there is a direct association between celebrity worship and poorer performance on cognitive tests.” The researchers asserted, “it might be wise to monitor feelings for (them).” Further study is suggested.
woohoo, another straight actor playing a gay role. how validating.
Is it unacceptable for a gay actor to portray a straight character? No. If Hollywood demanded such, there would be cries of bias. Or must we demand in for fairness and equality that all actors stay in their own lane as to what they are in life?