Angelina Jolie Has A Requirement Before She’ll Work With Marvel Again
Angelina Jolie has shared her feelings on her Marvel future, and what she won't do.
This article is more than 2 years old
Eternals is the very first Marvel Cinematic Universe film Angelina Jolie signed on to. Under director Chloe Zhao, she played Thena, an Eternal who possesses the power to conjure weapons out of thin air. She said that she would love to work with Marvel again, but on one condition: she doesn’t want to do a solo superhero film.
In an interview with Brazilian outlet CinePOP, as translated by Collider, Angelina Jolie revealed that the reason she took a long time to play a superhero was that she was waiting for the right time and right part, but previous proposals that came her way “didn’t feel like the right one.” But when Eternals came along, she took the role of Thena before even reading the script under the impression that the movie would revolve around family, a theme that resonates with her deeply. Keep in mind, she’s a mother to six kids from her marriage to Brad Pitt, three of which she adopted from other countries.
By signing onto Eternals, Angelina Jolie said she felt she was doing something unique and special because Thena is part of the most prominent, if not the most powerful, family in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Because the idea of family and keeping all the superheroes together was so important to her, the actress said she’s not interested in a solo Thena film. Therefore, if Angelina Jolie plays Thena in a future film, Marvel would have to agree that they keep her as part of a team, not separate her from it.
I loved being part of the family, so I have no desire to separate from the family. But I would be happy to play her again and explore even more deeply the struggles that she has. I think it’s fun thinking of where they’ve been over the years. We’ve got thousands of years worth of material. We can take her anywhere. I think that’s fun and I like the idea that we can pop up somewhere, maybe in other Marvel movies.
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie wanted to become part of the MCU family so much that soon after Eternals was released, she defended Marvel and Disney like she would her own family. Last week, she spoke out on Eternals being banned in several countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar over a same-sex relationship between Phastos and Ben, played by Brian Tyree Henry and Hazz Sleiman, respectively, and for showing the first same-sex kiss scene in a Marvel film. In a roundtable interview with Australian outlet news.com.au, she criticized the ignorant attitudes that led to those countries banning the film from their theaters and expressed sadness that audiences in the countries affected by the ban won’t be able to see it. Angelina Jolie said that she’s proud of Marvel and Disney for refusing to edit the scenes out.
“I still don’t understand how we live in a world today where there’s still [people who] would not see the family Phastos has and the beauty of that relationship and that love,” Angelina Jolie said. “How anybody is angry about it, threatened by it, doesn’t approve or appreciate it is ignorant.” Homosexuality is illegal in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar.
Marvel’s Eternals is now playing exclusively in theaters.
