Eternals director Chloe Zhao shouted out all the fans who ship Druig and Makkari on social media this week. She identified them as the big fan fiction pairing coming out of the movie with some cool artwork to accompany it. (A lot of fans in the replies absolutely loved seeing the filmmaker flex her fandom muscles like this.) It’s no secret that Makkari has some of the coolest action beats in Eternals. Fans also seemed to get a kick out of a lot of Druig’s humor in the movie as well. It’s a winning combination that has a lot of MCU die-hards hoping for more in the near future. The film keeps chugging along and adding to that first-weekend return. Despite some early bluster, the difference between the critical reception and the fan reception remains pretty wide. So, the conversations surrounding Eternals online continue to evolve as more people see the film. But Barry Keoghan and Lauren Ridloff remain a positive mention in these early reactions.
Zhao wrote, “As a fan girl, I share your passion to use your imaginations to explore characters and universes you love so much so that they keep expending and never ending! For y’all who are making awesome fan arts, vids and fics of our Eternals characters, please know that I’m watching and reading with the biggest smile on my face! See y’all on AO3! #eternals #drukkari #mcuforever Please help me tag the creators of these awesome fan arts and go see Eternals in theaters this wkd! @musenilla @pencilhead7 @thefrisbeeman @shinzchang @janddrawn”
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Comicbook.com’s Phase Zero podcast actually spoke to Eternals producer Nate Moore about the popular pairing as well. He revealed that it was a natural reflection of the chemistry between the two actors.
“That was something that we found while we were shooting. Even in the script, I would argue it’s there in a very subtle way. But, it was Barry and Lauren’s actual chemistry that made that something that we actually leaned into more,” Moore began. “The moment on the beach was them. So much of them… First of all, Barry Keoghan is the sweetest guy you will ever meet. Lauren in some ways took him under her wing. Because… this movie was a big one for Barry. I think, Lauren, having joined The Walking Dead, was used to being in situations that felt big, but that she could figure out how to make small and personal.”
“So, they had real chemistry. I remember the first screening. Obviously, this story is built on a love story between Circe and Ikkaris. But, in early screenings, it was really Druig and Makkari that people were like ‘Oh, that’s cool! Let’s get more of that!’ So, that’s a testament to those two actors,” he added.
Are you excited to see more of Druig and Makkari in the future? Let us know down in the comments!