While Eternals did not feature much of Harry Styles, it appears more of his character was originally going to be included in the Marvel Studios film. Eternals star Lia McHugh, who plays the character Sprite in the film, has shared a behind-the-scenes photo of co-star Styles from a deleted scene.
In the mid-credits scene of Eternals, Styles’ Eros, who is also Thanos’ brother, is introduced to Thena (Angelina Jolie), Druig (Barry Keoghan), and Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) by his teleporting companion Pip the Troll, played by comedian Patton Oswalt. Eros then states after Sersi and some of the other Eternals are taken by the judge Celestial, Arishem, “Your friends are in big trouble. And we know where to find them.”
Taking to Instagram, McHugh posted a photo of herself, Richard Madden (Ikaris), and Styles (Starfox), where all three are wearing silver robes that may hint at the film’s opening scene when the Eternals group are awoken and placed on Earth by the Celestials. The scene did not end up in the final cut, so it appears that director Chloé Zhao initially intended for Styles to have a bigger role. Of course, Styles’ surprising cameo in the end-credits scene proved to be exciting enough, as his introduction as Starfox/Eros has fans eagerly awaiting his appearance in future Marvel Studios content.
This new behind-the-scenes photo comes shortly after Styles spoke out about his new Marvel role, where the actor said he was grateful to have the opportunity to join such an exciting universe. On top of this, Zhao also revealed that she handpicked Styles to play Eros, believing him to be a great fit to portray such an emotional and powerful member of the Eternals. “Harry as Eros was very much a package deal for me,” Zhao told Deadline.
Styles, the former One Direction pop star, has made quite the career shift, starring in Christopher Nolan’s epic war drama, Dunkirk, as well as starring opposite Florence Pugh, Gemma Chan, and Chris Pine in Olivia Wilde’s upcoming psychological thriller Don’t Worry Darling. It’ll be interesting to see how much Marvel Studios’ president Kevin Feige ties in Styles’ character with future MCU stories, but based on fan reactions and Zhao’s enthusiasm for the actor/character, he will be having tons more screen time.
Eternals, the latest MCU feature film, centers on an immortal alien race that has been living secretly on Earth for thousands of years. They finally have to reunite to stop their evil counterparts known as the Deviants. In addition to Styles, McHugh, and Madden, the cast also features Salma Hayek as Ajak, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Kit Harington as Dane Whitman, and Harish Patel as Karun. Eternals has already grossed over $336 million worldwide despite its mixed reception.
Eternals is currently playing in theatres.
Source: Lia McHugh/Instagram, Deadline
