When Kumail Nanjiani prepared for Eternals, he got jacked with a body transformation that he’s been very open about in the aftermath. As it turned out, though, Kumail had another significant challenge waiting for him when he arrived on the set of the Marvel movie. He opened on the subject during a visit (alongside fellow cast member Salma Hayek) with Jimmy Kimmel, and boy, he probably wished he was pumping iron rather than shooting the “finger guns” as Kingo. It’s much more tactile to lift heavy things than to shoot imaginary cosmic energy and look badass while doing it, right?
Following a clip where those finger guns show up, Kumail opened up about how he wrapped his head around how to feel silly but look badass. He also admitted to feeling disbelief when director Chloé Zhao told him what he’d be doing during fight scenes. This happens after the 8:30 mark above when Kimmel asks about Kingo’s powers:
“I shoot… I shoot [bleep] from my hands… finger guns.. I got to work, and I was like, ‘How do I shoot?’ And Chloe was like, ‘Finger guns!’ I was like, ‘Chloe, that’s so goofy.’ She was like, ‘It’s gonna be finger guns.’ She was like, ‘I promise it’ll look cool.’ And I felt stupid for six months, doing this [gestures] every day, and it looks pretty cool!”
Now, I’m being ridiculous when I call this an “origin story,” since this retelling clearly is not on the level of Batman: The Killing Joke or, well, any true origin story that’s about a hero or villain, rather than Kumail’s digits. However, Kumail’s undoubtedly already buried in questions about his muscles, so the finger guns are a nice switch up. Also, it’s Friday, so we can all relax a little bit.
