‘We have to work together’: The Eternals cast on saving the planet

Published

3 years ago

November 2, 2021

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Eternals was never intended for release while the COP26 climate summit was taking place, but the timing does seem strangely appropriate.

Pushed back from hitting cinemas in 2020 due to the pandemic, the latest big-budget film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe tells the story of a disparate group of superheroes who find that, with the destruction of Earth at stake, they are more powerful when they work together.

This storyline, coupled with beautiful cinematography showing our planet at its best – thanks to filming taking place in real locations rather than closed-off sets – means it’s hard not to draw comparisons between the messaging in the film and those coming out of the environmental conference in Glasgow.

With an all-star cast featuring Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Gemma Chan, Kit Harington, Kumail Nanjiani and Richard Madden, it’s a high-profile way of spreading the message about saving the planet.

Harington, who plays human Dane Whitman in the movie, told Sky News he thinks Hollywood has its own part to play in helping push the green agenda.

“It’s important that the industry I’m in, the entertainment industry, not only speaks about that, but also acts on it as well – that the sets we’re on are sustainable, that we reduce our flight numbers where we can,” he said.

“As far as this movie goes, it is talking about a group of eternal beings who’ve seen us as humanity go from 7,000 years ago… and has seen us destroy each other, kill each other, but also show love to each other and come through things.

“I think it’s a bit of a love letter to the world and it’s a love letter to humanity, and it’s full of hope as well as warnings – and I think it’s a really important movie for our time for that reason.”

Chan, who plays superhero Sersi, said she thinks themes of environmentalism are being reflected in the art that is being produced at the moment.

“Hopefully it will come through in the storytelling that we see. I’m doing a project next called Extrapolations [where] climate change is the backdrop to the setting of the show, so I think we’re probably going to see that more and more; it’s the reality that we’re all living in, that we all have to deal with.

“I think with this film as well, the message for me is that we can’t achieve anything by ourselves. We have to work together, we have to try and solve these problems together.”

For Nanjiani, who plays the superhero Kingo, the conversation around climate change needs to change.

“I think it’s so absolutely unbelievable that environmentalism has become politicised,” he said. “If anything has shown us this last year and a half, we’re all on the same rock and if something happens here it’s all our problem – doesn’t matter what you look like, where you live, what the borders that we’ve drawn are, it affects us all.

“Environmentalism obviously is something that affects every single one of us, so it’s pretty frustrating that it’s become a polarised topic.”

Salma Hayek, who plays Eternals leader Ajak, agreed the pandemic has highlighted the need for people to work together.

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“I think that COVID gives us a taste of it, how we’re in it together and we all have to do something. It’s not like you can wait for the governments to fix it.”

Eternals has a very different feel to the Marvel movies that have come before, perhaps because it was directed by Oscar-winner Chloe Zhao.

Hayek said Zhao is one of the reasons she wanted to be involved in the film.

“I’m so proud of them for choosing this amazing woman, Chloe, who has the capability to do very huge scope and intimacy at the same time, and beauty and imagination, creativity,” she said.

The Eternals cast also includes a deaf superhero, played by Lauren Ridloff, and some of the dialogue is in ASL (American sign language).

Harington said the addition of the character sets this apart from previous Marvel films.

“The fact we’ve got a deaf superhero talking to deaf kids all over the world in a language they understand, dressed in a superheroes outfit – that’s fantastic,” he said. “That’s what’s special about this movie.”

Chan, who starred in Crazy Rich Asians – which featured a majority cast from Chinese descent – said it’s time for diversity on screen to become the norm.

“[Eternals] felt like a kind of natural evolution. I think it’s a great thing that there may be many young girls and boys who might see themselves represented in a film like this, maybe for the first time.

“But I also hope we’re moving towards a point where it’s just normalised, and it’s not a big deal to have a cast like this.”

Eternals is out in cinemas on 5 November

Entertainment

Pete Townshend’s Quadrophenia talked about modern masculinity before Gen Z was born

Published

20 hours ago

April 5, 2025

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Pete Townshend's Quadrophenia talked about modern masculinity before Gen Z was born

Despite The Who’s Quadrophenia being set over 60 years ago, Pete Townshend’s themes of identity, mental health, and modern masculinity are just as relevant today.

The album is having a renaissance as Pete Townshend’s Quadrophenia A Mod ballet is being brought to life via dance at Sadler’s Wells East, and Sky News has an exclusive first look.

As Townshend puts it, the album he wrote is “perfect” for the stage.

“My wife Rachel did the orchestration for me, and as soon as I heard it I said to her it would make a fabulous ballet and we never really let that go,” he tells Sky News.

“Heavy percussion, concussive sequences. They’re explosive moments. They’re also romantic movement moments.”

If you identify with the demographics of Millennial, Gen Y or Gen Z, you might not be familiar with The Who and Mod culture.

But in post-war Britain the Mods were a cultural phenomenon characterised by fashion, music, and of course, scooters. The young rebels were seen as a counter-culture to the establishment and The Who, with Roger Daltry’s lead vocals and Pete Townshend’s writing, were the soundtrack.

Quadrophenia the album is widely regarded as an essay on the British adolescent experience at the time, focusing on the life of fictional protagonist Jimmy – a young Mod struggling with his sanity, self-doubt, and alienation. 

Townshend sets the rock opera in 1965 but thinks its themes of identity, mental health, and modern masculinity are just as relevant today.

He says: “The phobias and the restrictions and the unwritten laws about how young men should behave. The ground that they broke, that we broke because I was a part of it.

“Men were letting go of [the] wartime-related, uniform-related stance that if I wear this kind of outfit it makes me look like a man.”

This struggle of modern masculinity and identity appears to be echoing today as manosphere influencers like Andrew Tate, incel culture, and Netflix’s Adolescence make headlines.

For dancer Paris Fitzpatrick, who takes on the lead role of Jimmy, the story resonates.

“I think there’s a connection massively and I think there may even be a little more revival in some way,” he tells Sky News.

“I love that myself. I love non-conforming to gender norms and typical masculinity; I think it’s great to challenge things.”

Despite the album being written before he was born, the dancer says he was familiar with the genre already.

“I actually did an art GCSE project about Mods and rockers and Quadrophenia,” he says.

“I think we’ll be able to bring it to new audiences and hopefully, maybe people will be inspired to to learn more about their music and the whole cultural movement of the early 60s.”

In 1979, the album was adapted into a film directed by Franc Roddam starring Ray Winstone and Sting but Townshend admits because the film missed key points he is “not a big fan”.

“What it turned out to be in the movie was a story about culture, about social scenario and less about really the specifics of mental illness and how that affects young people,” he adds, also complimenting Roddam’s writing for the film.

Perhaps a testament to Pete Townshend’s creativity, Quadrophenia started as an album, was successfully adapted to film and now it will hit the stage as a contemporary ballet.

It appears that over six decades later Mod culture is still cool and their issues still relatable.

Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet will tour to Plymouth Theatre Royal from 28 May to 1 June 2025, Edinburgh Festival Theatre from 10 to 14 June 2025 and the Mayflower, Southampton from 18 to 21 June 2025 before having its official opening at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London on 24 June running to 13 July 2025 and then visiting The Lowry, Salford from 15 to 19 July 2025.

Entertainment

Russell Brand charged with rape and sexual assault

Published

1 day ago

April 4, 2025

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Russell Brand has been charged with rape and two counts of sexual assault between 1999 and 2005.

The Metropolitan Police say the 50-year-old comedian, actor and author has also been charged with one count of oral rape and one count of indecent assault.

The charges relate to four women.

He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday 2 May.

Police have said Brand is accused of raping a woman in the Bournemouth area in 1999 and indecently assaulting a woman in the Westminster area of London in 2001.

He is also accused of orally raping and sexually assaulting a woman in Westminster in 2004.

The fourth charge alleges that a woman was sexually assaulted in Westminster between 2004 and 2005.

Police began investigating Brand, from Oxfordshire, in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations.

The comedian has denied the accusations and said he has “never engaged in non-consensual activity”.

He added in a video on X: “Of course, I am now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”

Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who is leading the investigation, said: “The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers.

“The Met’s investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police.”

Entertainment

Tom Cruise leads moment of silence in tribute to ‘dear friend’ Val Kilmer

Published

2 days ago

April 3, 2025

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Tom Cruise leads moment of silence in tribute to 'dear friend' Val Kilmer

Tom Cruise has paid tribute to Val Kilmer, wishing his Top Gun co-star “well on the next journey”.

Cruise, speaking at the CinemaCon film event in Las Vegas on Thursday, asked for a moment’s silence to reflect on the “wonderful” times shared with the star, whom he called a “dear friend”.

Kilmer, who died of pneumonia on Tuesday aged 65, rocketed to fame starring alongside Cruise in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, playing Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky, a rival fighter pilot to Cruise’s character Maverick.

His last part was a cameo role in the 2022 blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick.

Cruise, on stage at Caesars Palace on Thursday, said: “I’d like to honour a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer. I can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how grateful and honoured I was when he joined Top Gun and came back later for Top Gun: Maverick.

“I think it would be really nice if we could have a moment together because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us. Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.

“I wish you well on the next journey.”

The moment of silence followed a string of tributes from Hollywood figures including Cher, Francis Ford Coppola, Antonio Banderas and Michelle Monaghan.

Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes told the New York Times on Wednesday that the actor had died from pneumonia.

Diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, Kilmer discussed his illness and recovery in his 2020 memoir Your Huckleberry and Amazon Prime documentary Val.

He underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments for the disease and also had a tracheostomy which damaged his vocal cords and permanently gave him a raspy speaking voice.

Kilmer played Batman in the 1995 film Batman Forever and received critical acclaim for his portrayal of rock singer Jim Morrison in the 1991 movie The Doors.

He also starred in True Romance and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, as well as playing criminal Chris Shiherlis in Michael Mann’s 1995 movie Heat and Doc Holliday in the 1993 film Tombstone.

In 1988 he married British actress Joanne Whalley, whom he met while working on fantasy adventure Willow.

The couple had two children before divorcing in 1996.