Kumail Nanjiani is looking back on his time in Marvel’s Eternals with a renewed sense of clarity. Speaking on NPR’s Wild Card with Rachel Martin, the actor-comedian opened up about how the film, widely criticised despite its star-studded ensemble, reshaped his approach to work and creativity.
One of the biggest lessons, he said, was learning to distinguish his personal experience from the final outcome.
“Most times if I’m acting in something, I do not get to decide how good it’s going to be,” he said. “I do not get to choose how the audience is going to receive it… or what the reviewers are going to think. What I can control is learning from every job and taking a joyful approach to every job.”
Although Eternals didn’t land with audiences the way Marvel had hoped, Nanjiani said the process itself left a lasting impact. The Silicon Valley star noted that reminding himself that “a failure is not a failure” has been crucial: “It truly is an opportunity to learn.”
Despite the film’s mixed reception, Nanjiani stands firmly by his own work. “I’m very proud of my performance in it,” he said, adding that he “wouldn’t change anything” about how he portrayed Kingo, the cosmic-powered Bollywood star in the 2021 movie that also featured Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden and Kit Harington.
Nanjiani has previously spoken about how the backlash affected him. On Mike Birbiglia’s Working It Out podcast, he revealed that the negativity even led him to therapy. He also recalled signing on for a multi-film deal that never materialised. “I signed on for six movies,” he said. “They make you sign up for all this stuff… and then none of that happened.”
Today, the actor is channelling his energy elsewhere. He recently returned to stand-up comedy for the first time in ten years, releasing his Hulu special Night Thoughts, marking a new chapter that he says he’s embracing with gratitude and perspective.