‘Eternals’ stars talk about that sex scene
Richard Madden and Gemma Chan don’t quite remember how they met.
“I think we met through some mutual friends and ended up falling in together and just really getting on,” Madden said.
The longtime friends co-star as lovers in Marvel’s epic movie “Eternals,” about an ancient race of powerful beings who struggle against meddling in matters affecting mankind.
After casting Madden first in the role of Ikaris, a Superman-like hero with super strength and laser vision, director Chloe Zhao struggled to find an actor to play his romantic counterpart, Sersi.
“I always try to cast as much from real life as possible,” said the director. “We had read so many women for Sersi and we still couldn’t make our mind up. And then Richard says, ‘You should read my friend, Gemma Chan. We’re really close.’ So then we brought Gemma in to read with Richard, but also by herself. Right away, we were like, ‘Oh my God, that’s our Sersi.’ She just walked in and she was Sersi.”
Chan’s casting also came despite her role as a completely different MCU character, Minn-Erva, in 2019’s “Captain Marvel.”
Sersi, an empathetic hero who has the power to alter matter, and Ikaris have a romance that spans over 5,000 years, an intimacy that was easy for the actors to step into thanks to their real-life bond.
“I think the two of them having a decade of life together, and then to come in and to be playing these complex lovers who both had the weight of the world on their shoulders and then still be able to find love with each other — I’m very grateful for the time they had in real life because I’m sure they brought that with them in ways that I could never predict,” said Zhao.
The Los Angeles Times caught up with Madden and Chan to discuss joining the MCU at this stage in the game.
Q: Did you get cast as your personal favorite Eternal? Richard Madden:
Absolutely. And the best costume, I think (laughs).
Gemma Chan: Everyone got cast before me, so I didn’t have a choice.
Q: You two share the most suggestive sex scene in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What was filming that like, and did being friends for so long make it easier or more awkward?
RM: I’d say a little easier because me and Gemma have an ease and a trust with each other. Often those scenes are with actors you’ve only known a week or a month, and it’s really unsettling. Because we’ve been friends for so long, we know how to take care of each other in a situation that is not pleasant for anyone involved. And also we were outside, so there were a lot of elements (baked in) that go against comfort.
GC: I’m glad Richard was there because it can be very vulnerable and it’s important to have that trust.
Q: Gemma, how did it feel returning to the MCU, and how was this experience different than “Captain Marvel”?
GC: I feel very lucky to be back. I certainly wasn’t expecting to be back so soon. It was great to not be painted blue this time, spending four hours in the makeup chair every morning. It’s just fun to come back to a completely different project and tone and to get to work with an amazing bunch of people. I feel very lucky.