Credit: Marvel StudiosTalk about some high praise coming from an Academy Award-nominated actor.
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Chloé Zhao’s Eternals (2021) may not have been the smash hit Marvel Studios expected it to be when it arrived in theaters a little over two years ago, but there’s no denying that it was certainly an ambitious take on the titular team of immortals. Although the film has aged somewhat poorly, Druig actor Barry Keoghan recently shared some interesting insights into its production on the heels of his Golden Globe nomination for Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn (2023), revealing his MCU gig’s surprising connection to Star Wars.
During a recent interview with GQ, Keoghan spoke about his prominent movie roles and took some time to share new details about his time on the set of Eternals. Here, he claimed that the movie’s director, Chloé Zhao, told him to embody the role of Druig by acting more like Hayden Christensen in Star Wars, which comes as somewhat of a surprise considering the amount of backlash the Anakin Skywalker actor received upon the release of the Prequel Trilogy in the early 2000s.
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“Chloé kept referencing Hayden Christensen, his character in ‘Star Wars,’ to be a bit more…she just wanted me to be a bit more still, very chin high,” Keoghan said when asked about his preparation for Eternals, adding that “humanizing” a character like Druig was essential for his performance, as opposed to just “play[ing] the superhero.”
There’s no question that Zhao had a solid reference point with Hayden Christensen, who had the difficult task of playing an extremely powerful yet insecure Jedi Knight in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005). Although Anakin was the Chosen One, his confusion and rage made him susceptible to the Dark Side of the Force, leading to his inevitable fall and subsequent rebirth as Darth Vader.
Still, throughout much of the Prequel Trilogy and especially the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV show, viewers got to know a far more lighthearted, relatable version of Anakin in the build-up to his full corruption by Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). His human side could be seen in his friendships, marriage, and even his dedication to the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic, making his fall all the more devastating.
Druig is not dissimilar to Anakin in the sense that he’s mighty and has the ability to mind-control nearly any living being. Over time, however, he grew disillusioned with his superhero family and chose to leave the Eternals, forming a society of mind-controlled humans. However, when all of humanity was at risk due to the Emergence of Tiamut, Druig reunited with the team and rebelled against his primary directive for the greater good. His character arc was, without a doubt, one of the better ones in the movie, showing Druig’s empathy, as well as his affection for fellow Eternal Makkari (Lauren Ridloff).
Darth Vader had a similar full circle moment in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983), when he was redeemed by his son, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), thus defeating the Emperor and dying a hero — only to be resurrected as Anakin Skywalker via Force Ghost. While Druig didn’t exactly go full-mass murderer in Eternals, it’s definitely easy to spot the comparisons.
Given that Christensen was the target of near-constant bullying and harassment due to his acting abilities in the past, it’s heartwarming to see his performance in the Star Wars franchise getting a little love from an Oscar-winning director like Chloé Zhao. Thankfully, Christensen has since been redeemed in the eyes of critics and fans, who now look back at his time as Anakin more fondly than ever due to his recent roles in the Disney+ Ahsoka show and the Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries. Plus, the actor signed with Independent Artist Group last month, indicating potential future projects beyond the galaxy far, far away.
As for Barry Keoghan, it’ll be interesting to see if he can snag an Academy Award nomination for his role as the devious Oliver Quick in Saltburn, as he was up for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama (though he ultimately lost to Cillian Murphy). Bizarrely, Keoghan missed out on any SAG Awards nominations, meaning the probability of him earning an Oscar nod is now very unlikely.
For now, an Eternals 2 has yet to be announced, but given the less-than-positive reception to the first film, it’s hard to say if the MCU would consider moving forward with a sequel. There’s the off-chance that Druig, Sersi (Gemma Chan), Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), and even Eros (Harry Styles) could pop up somewhere in the Multiverse Saga. Still, even that remains somewhat of a big question mark following the firing of its main antagonist, Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).
Do you see a future for Barry Keoghan’s Druig and the rest of the Eternals? Let us know in the comments below!