Kumail Nanjiani opens up on facing flak for Eternals

Not every young actor takes criticism in their stride, and understandably so. Actor Kumail Nanjiani is a case in point. In a recent episode of the podcast Inside of You, Nanjiani told host Michael Rosenbaum that negative feedback for his film Eternals impacted his mental health so much that he had to see a therapist. “The reviews were bad, and I was too aware of it. I was reading every review and checking too much,” said Nanjiani.

The actor underwent a physical transformation with prolonged dance and fitness training to prepare for his role in Eternals. This grabbed the eye of the netizens, close to the theatrical release of the film. The movie, directed by Nomadland fame Chloé Zhao, went on to rake in over $400 million at the global box office but received mixed reviews from critics and even the audience. 

It seems like this was a trial by fire for the Pakistani-American actor, who was doing his first-ever superhero film. Until then, he was mainly known for his standups as well as acting roles in the sitcom Silicon Valley and the romcom The Big Sick.