When Eternals hit theaters in November 2021, it wasn’t just another chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—it was a bold leap into uncharted territory. Directed by Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao, the film introduced a sprawling cast of immortal beings tasked with protecting humanity across millennia, all wrapped in a cosmic narrative that stretched from ancient Babylon to modern-day London. Now, years after its release, the cast and crew are pulling back the curtain on what it took to bring this ambitious blockbuster to life. From grueling shoots in remote locations to crafting characters older than time itself, their stories reveal the sweat, passion, and occasional chaos behind Marvel Studios’ most daring experiment yet.

For Zhao, fresh off her triumph with Nomadland, the leap to Marvel was both a dream and a challenge. “I wanted to make something huge but human,” she shared in a recent roundtable hosted by Marvel on March 17, 2025, reflecting the current date. “The Eternals are gods, but they’re also a family—dysfunctional, messy, real.” That vision meant balancing jaw-dropping spectacle with intimate character moments, a tightrope walk that required a sprawling ensemble to deliver. The cast, featuring heavyweights like Angelina Jolie as the fierce warrior Thena, Salma Hayek as the wise leader Ajak, and Richard Madden as the conflicted Ikaris, brought their A-game to a project that demanded they embody beings who’d seen humanity evolve from its infancy.

Jolie, no stranger to action roles, described the physicality of the shoot as unlike anything she’d done before. “We trained for months—sword fighting, wire work, choreography that felt like dance,” she said. Filming took place across the globe, from the volcanic landscapes of the Canary Islands to the bustling streets of London. One standout memory for her was a night shoot in Fuerteventura, where the cast battled simulated cosmic foes under a sky lit by drones mimicking the Celestials’ glow. “You’re covered in ash, swinging a sword at nothing, and Chloé’s yelling, ‘Feel the weight of 7,000 years!’ It was insane—and exhilarating.”

The scale didn’t come without hiccups. Kumail Nanjiani, who played the Bollywood-star-turned-Eternal Kingo, laughed as he recalled a particularly chaotic day on set. “We were shooting this massive battle in a quarry, and the wind kicked up so much dust we couldn’t see each other,” he said. “I’m firing imaginary energy blasts, yelling lines to a green screen, and then a goat wanders in—apparently, it lived there. Chloé just rolled with it.” That adaptability became a hallmark of the production, with Zhao encouraging improvisation to keep the immortals’ banter authentic. Nanjiani’s comedic flair, honed through stand-up, shone in Kingo’s quips, a lightness that balanced the film’s weightier themes.

For Gemma Chan, stepping into the role of Sersi—the empathetic heart of the team—meant grappling with a character who’d witnessed humanity’s best and worst. “Chloé pushed me to find her vulnerability,” Chan explained. “Sersi’s been around forever, but she still believes in people. That’s her strength.” Much of her preparation involved diving into the script’s historical scope, written by Zhao alongside Patrick Burleigh and Ryan and Kaz Firpo. The team drew from mythology and archaeology to craft the Eternals’ backstory, a process Chan called “a history nerd’s dream.” One scene, set in ancient Mesopotamia, required her to learn basic Akkadian phrases—an effort she said paid off when fans later praised the film’s attention to detail.

The crew faced their own Herculean tasks. Cinematographer Ben Davis, a Marvel veteran from Guardians of the Galaxy, teamed with Zhao to capture her signature naturalistic style on an epic scale. “Chloé loves golden hour,” Davis noted. “We’d chase the sun across islands, racing to get these massive shots before dark.” The result was a visual feast—sweeping vistas of Earth’s past juxtaposed with the towering, otherworldly Celestials, brought to life by VFX wizards at Weta Digital. Production designer Eve Stewart, meanwhile, built practical sets like the Eternals’ spaceship, the Domo, which Jolie called “a cathedral of weirdness.” “You’d walk in and feel like you’d left Earth,” she said.

Not everything went smoothly. The film’s $200 million budget ballooned as reshoots piled up, and its 157-minute runtime drew mixed reviews—some hailed its ambition, others found it overstuffed. Lauren Ridloff, who made history as the MCU’s first deaf hero, Makkari, admitted the pressure was intense. “We all felt the weight of being new,” she signed during the roundtable. “But Chloé kept us grounded—she’d say, ‘Just be yourselves, but eternal.’” Ridloff’s speedster sequences, filmed with cutting-edge motion capture, became a fan favorite, a testament to the team’s commitment despite the odds.

Looking back, the cast and crew agree the journey was worth it. Eternals may not have topped Avengers: Endgame’s box office haul—grossing $402 million worldwide—but it carved a unique niche in the MCU, sparking debates about love, duty, and humanity’s place in the cosmos. “It’s not about being the biggest,” Hayek reflected. “It’s about being unforgettable.” As Marvel plots its next phases, the Eternals’ saga stands as a bold experiment—one forged by a team that dared to dream as big as the gods they portrayed.