'Eternals' star Lauren Ridloff on playing the 1st deaf superhero in the MCU
Lauren Ridloff may play a super-speedy, Deviant-fighting immortal named Makkari in Marvel's "Eternals," but her storyline is more human than alien.
The Tony-nominated actress, who is making history as the first deaf superhero in the MCU and is deaf herself, opened up to "Good Morning America" about what this role means to her -- especially after she saw an ad for the movie in New York City's Times Square.
Ridloff said seeing the trailer on a platform that big was "really overwhelming" and she "started to realize the impact that this film is going to have." She wanted to tell her own story in the role and hopes people connected to it -- "whether they're deaf, hard of hearing, Black, Mexican [or] women," she said.
"It's such an honor to be a part of a film like this where there's a ton of us," she added. "We're so diverse and I think that a lot of people will feel seen."
"Eternals," directed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao, features a large ensemble cast including Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Harish Patel and Kit Harington, along with Ridloff.
The "Sound of Metal" star also taught her co-stars what the term "deaf gain" meant, which she described as a moment that shows a "benefit of being deaf."
Ridloff recounted a scene in which Zhao wanted to make a sonic boom sound on the set to depict how fast her character was moving and, when the assistant director offered her a pair of earplugs, she said she didn't need them.
"It's not always a challenge [being deaf] and sometimes it can be helpful," she explained. "That's a perfect moment of deaf gain."
Marvel's "Eternals" hits theaters Friday, Nov. 5.
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