Chloé Zhao Talks Eternals Sex, Hop Gay Scen Aren’t Censored – IndieWire

Contents:

• THE MCU'S FIRST GAY KISS BROUGHT A LOT OF EMOTN TO MARVEL'S ETERNALS SET
• ‘THE ETERNALS’ ACTOR SAYS CREW CRIED ON SET WHILE FILMG MCU’S FIRST GAY KISS
• 5 THGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE MCU'S FIRST OPENLY GAY SUPER-POWERED CHARACTER
• ETERNALS' GAY KISS MAK FIRST MARVEL FILM TO RECEIVE M18 RATG SGAPORE
• CHLOé ZHAO SPOKE TO MARVEL ABOUT NOT CENSORG GAY ‘ETERNALS’ CHARACTERS OVERSEAS: ‘FGERS CROSSED’
• MARVEL’S FIRST GAY SUPERHERO DEFEATS EVIL, MAK HISTORY ETERNALS TRAILER
• GAY-INCLIVE MARVEL FILM 'ETERNALS' ALREADY BANNED 3 COUNTRI
• MARVEL’S NEW ‘ETERNALS’ VIO HIGHLIGHTS THE MCU’S FIRST GAY UPLE
• MARVEL'S FIRST OPENLY GAY COUPLE ARRIV A NEW ETERNALS TRAILER
• HOW ‘ETERNALS’ ESTABLISH THE MCU’S FIRST GAY SUPERHERO AND SAME-SEX COUPLE A MOVIE: ‘IT’S LIFE-SAVG’

THE MCU'S FIRST GAY KISS BROUGHT A LOT OF EMOTN TO MARVEL'S ETERNALS SET

Marvel Studs has jt released Eternals, the first film the pany's superhero anchise to feature a gay hero — and you're fiven if you're feelg any déjà vu. Prev films the Marvel Cematic Universe have featured "gay moments, " like Avengers: Endgame's brief scene which a non-superhero character, portrayed by director Joe Rso, scrib a same-sex date.

(Marvel Studs/Disney/The Associated Prs)In Eternals, Phastos (played by Brian Tyree Henry) is a married gay man wh a young son, and his fay life is entwed to the heart of the story.

‘THE ETERNALS’ ACTOR SAYS CREW CRIED ON SET WHILE FILMG MCU’S FIRST GAY KISS

"Not all LGBTQ superhero the ics world are up for character Wicn, a member of the Young Avengers who ma his first appearance a 2005 ic, has been wrten as a gay teenager om the start. This extend to ntent that the thory emed "sexually perverse, " cludg homosexualy.

"That hered  a new era of ics, which clud the troductn of Marvel's first openly gay superhero, Northstar (who is also a Canadian) terms of LGBTQ reprentatn, Deman said, much of what we see the ics world now is about tchg up. And a new Prcs Diana movie is out — we discs whether offers anythg new, and unpack our ceasels fascatn wh the after the was abolished, there remas a certa appeal searchg for LGBTQ subtext wh popular culture, acrdg to enjoy fdg LGBTQ-d characters, "where they n get to the further extent of those feelgs and relatnship, " whout havg to worry about a stud's nonil, nservative treatment of a gay character, she said, potg to Capta Marvel's Carol Danvers and Maria Rambe as one such pairg. It also means explicly gay ntent rarely se the light of day a major stud Chat talks Eternals and SpencerThis week, Eternals was pulled om Sdi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwa, allegedly rponse to s cln of the same-sex uple.

Marvel Stud's first gay kiss has been censored some Middle Eastern untri, but Eternals is still breakg new ground when to queer reprentatn the some untri the regn, cludg Sdi Arabia, Kuwa, Qatar, Bahra, and Oman are flat out clg to release the movie due to s queer ntent, other untri are showg a cut of the latt, queer-clive Marvel flick that simply eds out a scene where Phastos kiss his hband, leavg other scen he has wh his hband and same-sex kiss was eded out of the film the Uned Arab Emirat, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Ethpia, Palte, Syria, and Turkey. But wasn't jt the gay kiss that was eded out, was any and all scen of physil timacy and kissg between characters (LGBTQ+ and straight), which is standard those untri. Dpe removg the kiss, the versn of Eternals that screened the untri still shows Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) to be happily married to a man, who also happens to be played by gay Mlim actor Haaz Sleiman.

5 THGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE MCU'S FIRST OPENLY GAY SUPER-POWERED CHARACTER

"While her dream didn't exactly e te, Middle Eastern dienc are still gettg to see a posive portrayal of a Black gay superhero and his Middle Eastern hband.

The first openly gay superhero a Marvel movie, and Haaz Sleiman (Ltle Ameri), who plays his hband. Rodriguez/Getty Imag And Sleiman is proud to be a part of the first openly gay superhero storyle for Marvel. "I'm married to the gay superhero Phastos, played by Atlanta's Brian Tyree Henry, and we reprent a gay fay and have a child, " he add.

Prevly, Marvel Studs print Kev Feige nfirmed that The Eternals would feature an openly gay character to help further onscreen LGBTQ reprentatn. Related ntent: Marvel's The Eternals nfirms openly gay character: 'He's married, he's got a fay'Marvel boss nfirms Tsa Thompson's Valkyrie as MCU's first LGBTQ superheroK Hargton jos Marvel's The Eternals for Game of Thron rnn wh Richard Madn. Haaz Sleiman stars Eternals and reveals that Marvel's first gay kissg scene was an emotnal day on the set.

ETERNALS' GAY KISS MAK FIRST MARVEL FILM TO RECEIVE M18 RATG SGAPORE

Eternals actor Haaz Sleiman has revealed some new rmatn about Marvel's first openly gay uple. While many assumed that Game of Thron star Richard Madn was playg Marvel's first openly gay superhero, that isn't the se.

"I jt shot a Marvel film wh the first openly gay superhero, the Eternals. I'm married to the gay superhero Phastos, played by Atlanta's Brian Tyree Henry, and we reprent a gay fay and have a child.

Marvel Studs has ma no secret that s upg fall tentpole “The Eternals” will feature s first openly gay superhero. In a new terview wh Logo, “Eternals” actor Haaz Sleiman reveals his character is one half of the gay uple that appears the movie.

CHLOé ZHAO SPOKE TO MARVEL ABOUT NOT CENSORG GAY ‘ETERNALS’ CHARACTERS OVERSEAS: ‘FGERS CROSSED’

Sleiman says his character is “married to the gay superhero Phastos, played by ‘Atlanta’s’ Brian Tyree Henry, and we reprent a gay fay and have a child.

” Marvel’s parent pany Disney has promised signifint gay moments past tentpol only for them to not be too explic (who n fet the live-actn “Bety and the Beast” remake? ), but Sleiman promis signifint gay reprentatn “The Eternals. ” The actor says the Chloe Zhao-directed superhero film will show Marvel’s first gay kiss.

MARVEL’S FIRST GAY SUPERHERO DEFEATS EVIL, MAK HISTORY ETERNALS TRAILER

The last Marvel release, “Avengers: Endgame, ” faced backlash after the Rso brothers announced the movie would feature the MCU’s first openly gay character. It appears such cricisms won’t be lobbied at “The Eternals” as Brian Tyree Henry’s openly gay character Pastos is one of the ma rol.

The MCU’s gay future might also clu Tsa Thompson’s Valkyrie.

The ial nversatns around seemed promisg; productn members often talked about the cln of Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) as the MCU’s first openly gay superhero well before the release. Notable occurrenc are the brief mentn that a female character is married to a woman Onward, a meo appearance om Joe Rso Avengers: Endgame as a gay man at a support group, and an acknowledgment of Loki’s non-cishet genr and sexualy brief moments of Loki. The most recent occurrenc of this have been wh Disney Pixar’s Lu, where director Enri Casarosa ially phed back agast those who felt that Lu served as a gay or trans allegory, and wh Marvel’s The Faln and the Wter Soldier, when Anthony Mackie plaed about fans beg exced by the ia that Sam Wilson and Bucky Barn gave off queer vib.

GAY-INCLIVE MARVEL FILM 'ETERNALS' ALREADY BANNED 3 COUNTRI

Several untri the Middle East have now banned Eternals after they requted eds be ma to their theatril cuts to erase the LGBTQ+ reprentatn and gay kiss, but Disney stood by  and cled to make the eds. The portrayal of the gay relatnship between Phastos and his hband Ben is unabashed and wholome, as the two are shown to love each other and to re arly for their son Jack (Esai Daniel Cross). Eternals is the perfect movie to have clud this first openly gay superhero (asi om the fact that took 13 years and over 20 movi the MCU for to arrive).

Gay and lbian relatnships between cis people are the most monly reprented part of the muny, so is no surprise that Phastos’ relatnship was the first major w for the MCU. He's not the first queer MCU character; he's the first out, super-powered MCU character In 2019's Avengers: Endgame, -director Joe Rso played an unnamed gay man a brief scene at a support group.

Pl, there's sr of background players var crowd scen that have pged my personal gaydar. Sgapore has given a ratg of M18 to the latt Marvel film, Eternals, bee of a scene wh a gay kiss, makg the first movie om the ultra-popular superhero anchise to not receive a PG or PG13 ratg. Phastos, one of the tular Eternals, played by Brian Tyree Henry, is one of the first gay ma characters the MCU.

MARVEL’S NEW ‘ETERNALS’ VIO HIGHLIGHTS THE MCU’S FIRST GAY UPLE

"Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) Eternals is Marvel's first proment gay character the anchise. The film ntas homosexual referenc.

"Reprentativ om Disney, Marvel Studs' parent pany, cled to ment for this 2008, MediaCorp TV Channel 5 was fed by the then Media Development Authory for an episo that "normalise(d) and promote(d) a gay liftyle. The agency said at the time, "This is breach of the Free-to-Air TV Programme Co which disallows programm that promote, jtify or glamourise gay liftyl. However, Eternals' director Chloe Zhao said that she and Marvel had discsed the matter and did not wish to censor the gay scen the movie for ternatnal has been cricised for the lack of LGBTQ characters s movi.

MARVEL'S FIRST OPENLY GAY COUPLE ARRIV A NEW ETERNALS TRAILER

“Eternals” also ntas the most overt pictn of a gay romance that the MCU has ever attempted, re of the charmg domtic life that Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) has managed to rve out wh his hband Ben (Haaz Sleiman) and their very cute son Jack (Esai Daniel Cross) after growg disillned wh both humany and the Eternals’ missn wh them. Part of the reason why Marvel has mostly shied away om gay romanc films — spe wks and nods across the seri, particularly when to Tsa Thompson’s Valkyrie, a nfirmed bisexual, and the romantic sir of her fellow “Thor” star, Tom Hiddlton’s Loki — is bee they are ually snipped for release big-money untri, particularly Cha. Henry's Marvel character will be the first openly gay hero to grace the screen the MCU.

Marvel's Eternals has been h by review-bombers on IMDB due to s cln of a gay kiss and LGBTQIA+ reprentatn the film. The reviews have not all been glowg, but none have mentned a legimate ncern regardg gay reprentatn Eternals. Chloé Zhao is hopeful that untri overseas will not censor her upg Marvel Cematic Universe tentpole “Eternals, ” which featur the MCU’s first openly gay hero Brian Tyree Henry’s Phastos.

In an terview this week wh IndieWire’s Eric Kohn (more of that discsn to e closer to the film’s release), the “Nomadland” Osr wner had the followg to say about potential censorship of her film’s gay moments: “I don’t know all the tails, but I do believe discsns were had and there’s a big sire om Marvel and myself — we talked about this — to not change the cut of the movie.

HOW ‘ETERNALS’ ESTABLISH THE MCU’S FIRST GAY SUPERHERO AND SAME-SEX COUPLE A MOVIE: ‘IT’S LIFE-SAVG’

Acrdg to Zhao, troducg the MCU’s first openly gay superhero was already “wrten to the story” before she signed on as director. That Zhao had the chance to tell this particular narrative thread of the movie wh a gay character ma all the more special.

A gay superhero isn’t the only MCU first “Eternals. Like the openly gay Phastos, the “Eternals” sex scene was already the treatment Zhao read before she signed on to direct. The Eternals trailer offers the brieft of glimps at Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), the first gay superhero a major Hollywood anchise.

Dcribed as an “telligent ventor” an acpanyg summary, the character will reportedly break ground by sharg the film stud’s first onscreen gay kiss wh his hband, played by out, gay Lebane actor Haaz an terview, Sleiman said the climactic smooch was an emotnal moment on set, pecially given s importance to LGBTQ+ reprentatn. They're Marvel's first openly gay fay and their cln is prented whout feelg shoe-horned the way has prev Disney films.