Speaking on NPR’s Wild Card with Rachel Martin, the actor and comedian said he is proud of his work in the 2021 superhero movie, despite its disappointing box office performance and mixed critical response.
“I’m very proud of my performance in it,” Nanjiani said. “And it’s rare to say, but I actually wouldn’t change anything about how I am in that movie.”
Nanjiani played the superhero Kingo in Eternals, which featured a high-profile cast including Kit Harington, Richard Madden, Gemma Chan and Angelina Jolie. Expectations were high, but the film struggled to connect with audiences and critics when it was released.
On the podcast, Nanjiani reflected on what the experience taught him. He said the project helped him separate his personal experience of making something from how it is ultimately received.
“Most times if I’m acting in something, I do not get to decide how good it’s gonna be,” he explained. “I do not get to choose how the audience is going to receive it. I do not get to choose how much money it’s going to make. I do not get to choose what the reviewers are going to think of it.”
What he can control, Nanjiani said, is whether he learns from each job and approaches his work with joy. He added that what looks like failure from the outside can still be valuable on a personal level.
“A failure is not a failure,” he said. “It truly is an opportunity to learn.”
Nanjiani has previously spoken about how the negative reaction to Eternals affected him emotionally. He revealed in an earlier podcast appearance that the experience led him to therapy, particularly after plans for future Marvel films involving his character fell through.
“I signed on for six movies,” he said at the time. “They make you sign up for all this stuff… and then none of that happened.”
Most recently, Nanjiani returned to stand-up comedy for the first time in a decade with his new Hulu special, Night Thoughts, marking a fresh chapter in his career shaped by the lessons he says Eternals taught him.
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