Kumail Nanjiani Waxes Hilariously Poetic About His Character Kingo In A New Eternals Featurette
Playing a character named Kingo, stand-up comic and actor Kumail Nanjiani is a member of the ensemble that comprises the titular core of "Eternals" — the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the comic book source material, Kingo was born in Hokkaido, Japan, and became a samurai in the 1500s. Upon the advent of film, he adapts his skills into portraying samurai characters on the big screen. Not only is Nanjiani's version of Kingo a Bollywood movie star, but whereas the prior version of the character was a swordfighter, Kingo in the "Eternals" film shoots energy blasts from his fingertips.
During the promotion of "Eternals," Nanjiani has had various opportunities to flex his comedic chops while discussing his character. On "Jimmy Kimmel Live," for example, Nanjiani described the awkwardness inherent in constantly making finger guns on-set, having to trust that the gesture would look better with his CGI attacks added in. Now, with the November 5 release of "Eternals" imminent, the Marvel Entertainment channel on YouTube released a brief featurette about the film with Nanjiani as its star.
Eternals is a movie about Kingo and his sidekicks
This latest "Eternals" featurette — titled "In Kingo's Words" — opens on a few shots of the cosmos accompanied by a voiceover from Kumail Nanjiani chronicling the creation of "the first sun, galaxies, and a bunch of other boring stuff." After that, of course, comes Kingo, "Eternal extraordinaire and giant movie star, pure of heart and big of bicep." Nanjiani's enthusiastic but relatively benign narration is then interrupted by an appearance from Lauren Ridloff — who portrays Makkari — in the studio where he's recording his voiceover. Although she lets him know he's doing a good job, her smile suggests otherwise.
As Nanjiani continues to describe Kingo's superheroism, he refers to the rest of the "Eternals" team as a "revolving cast of sidekicks." This prompts appearances in the recording studio from fellow stars Brian Tyree Henry and Salma Hayek, who seem to take offense to the diminishment of their respective characters. Nanjiani then suggests his "Eternals" cohorts are possibly assistants before Angelina Jolie, who portrays "Thena," shows up. Her mere presence forces him to admit that "Angelina Jolie's not one of the sidekicks. She's one of the main ones."
Kingo, Thena, and their many assistants will debut in "Eternals" upon its November 5 theatrical release.