They were about to do something very loud (no spoilers!) on the outdoor set of Marvel’s “Eternals,” and this foolish woman didn’t want earplugs.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
Well, if I’m wrong, this is definitely going to be a first, thought Lauren Ridloff, an actress who has been deaf since birth. She plays Makkari, the first deaf superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in “Eternals,” which is due in theaters on Nov. 5.
“I really did feel like a superhero at that moment,” she said. “Everyone else was like ‘Wow, that was loud!’”
This is the first major role in a feature film for Ridloff, who’s become known for playing Connie, a survivor, in “The Walking Dead.” (She’s shooting the final season now.) In “Eternals,” from the Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao, she is the supersonically speedy scout on a team of 10 immortal guardians of humanity that also includes Kumail Nanjiani and Angelina Jolie.
In the comics, Ridloff’s character is a hulking, hearing white man. She’s not exactly sure what made the “Eternals” casting director Sarah Finn look at her and say, “Yes, Makkari!” but she’s of course glad it happened.
“It means my two boys, who are also deaf, will grow up in a world where there are superheroes who are deaf,” said Ridloff, whose children are 7 and 9. “It means they’ll be able to dream a bit more wildly.”
How did you land this role?
I brought my son to an audition — I can’t tell you what for! — and the casting director saw me and wanted to cast me for something else. Then a few months later the casting director reached out to my manager and said, “We want to consider Lauren for a Marvel film, and I can’t tell you what it is.” I was like, ‘Wait, this is Marvel, seriously?” My first thought was maybe it would be “Black Panther.” Then I got the call that the director of the movie wanted to meet with me, so I dropped everything and came to L.A. Chloé Zhao and [executive producer] Nate Moore broke everything down and asked if I was interested, and my immediate answer was yes.
In the comics, Makkari is a hulking, hearing white dude. Were they specifically looking for a nonwhite, deaf, female actor?
To be honest, I don’t know much about how they made that decision. But I love that they decided to make Makkari everything he’s not in the comic books — he’s a huge guy, let’s find someone tiny. He’s blond, let’s find someone who has Black hair. He’s a man, let’s go with a woman. He’s hearing, and now the character’s deaf.
What were some of the logistical challenges on set?
In some scenes, I had to face a wall. As a deaf person, how do you cue me? At one point, I was sharing my frustration with Angie — Angelina Jolie — at a holiday party after a day of shooting. And she immediately made a suggestion — why don’t we use a laser pen that special effects can easily erase? It was an “Aha, wow” moment. Whenever I’m looking at a wall, the interpreters would use a laser pen to make a circle on the wall — “rolling, rolling, rolling” — and once it went away that meant, “Action!”
What do you hope people take away from this film?
Growing up, I didn’t dream about becoming an actor. I didn’t see myself on the screen. As a little girl, I thought I was one of only a few deaf people walking on this Earth. Now, as an adult, I’m aware there are at least 466 million deaf people and hard-of-hearing people out there. I’m not the only one. And that’s what it means to have a deaf superhero — a lot more people will see a lot more possibility.
How Lauren Ridloff’s Deafness Became a Superpower in Marvel’s ‘Eternals’
