Eternals star Lia McHugh has been telling ScreenRant how Chloe Zhao took some of the cast to a Harry Styles concert, not long after revealing that he would be making a cameo in the film. The Oscar-winning director kept his involvement secret, even from the cast, right up until he was due to come in and film his scene.
McHugh plays Sprite, one of a race of immortals who live on Earth and protect humans from evil beings called the Deviants. The MCU movie has an all-star cast including Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry and Barry Keoghan. Jon Snow himself, Kit Harington, plays the human boyfriend of Gemma Chan’s character.
Eternals had a mixed critical reaction and a muted box office (for a Marvel movie) of $400 million. It has found an audience since hitting Disney Plus, however. Styles’ presence in the film did have the internet buzzing, especially considering the reveal of who his character is. There is obviously now much speculation as to any future role Styles might play in the MCU.
McHugh told ScreenRant; “I think she [Zhao] kept [Styles’ casting] in her back pocket a little bit until it was time for him to come shoot, and then she told us. And one day she was like, “You wouldn’t want to go to a Harry Styles concert with me, would you?” And I was like, “Is that even a question?!” It’s funny. He had a smaller, private one in London and we got special seats up in a lounge. A few of the Eternals went and it was great.”
Zhao’s next project is a “sci-fi Western Dracula movie” and Lia McHugh has since appeared in horror movie A House on the Bayou. Styles’ next acting role is in Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling, with Florence Pugh, Chris Pine, and Eternals’ Gemma Chan.
If you want to keep up-to-date with what’s happening with the MCU, check out our guide to Phase 4.