Eternals: Lauren Ridloff Reveals Lovely Origin Of Makkari's Name Sign

By Jamie Jirak

Tonight is the night Eternals finally hits theaters and it will feature a star-studded line-up of actors in the titular roles. The Eternals are a race of immortal beings with superhuman powers who have secretly lived on Earth for thousands of years. Each Eternal has their own unique power, and Lauren Ridloff's Makkari has super speed. The MCU made big changes to the character, who is a "hulking, hearing white dude" in the comics. However, Ridloff is a deaf woman of color, which makes her the franchise's first deaf hero. During a recent chat with ComicBook.com's Brandon Davis, Ridloff shared the sweet origin story of how Makkari's name sign came to be.

"Actually, I did not do all of the creating myself," Ridloff revealed. "I worked with an ASL consultant who was brought on set, and that was actually my husband. So Makkari, the reasoning behind that sign, where that came from, I don't know if you can see in the movie, but she has these fabulous earrings. And so that's where the sign starts on her ear. And then this sign means fast, zoom, speed. And so we incorporated the two from her character traits. And so now I do want to tell you a little secret. So my husband, his name sign also starts from the face and goes down. His name is Douglas. So it was also a kudos to my husband."

Recently, Ridloff had a chat with The New York Times about Eternals and shared some insights into what it's like being a deaf performer on a film set. 

"I got to set believing that I had to show how easy I am to work with as a deaf person," Ridloff explained when asked if she was comfortable asking for what she needed while on set. "I was concerned about seeming too fragile. But after working with others, I realized everyone has their own unique set of challenges, and that I need to think about what I need to deliver as an actor, and don't apologize for it." She continued, "Hollywood is finally figuring out why it's so important to have representation, and now it's more about how. That's the part that's more tricky. We need to have deaf writers and creative talent involved in the process of planning film projects from the beginning. When you have deaf experts within and on the stage, from the crew to makeup artists, it feels like that naturally leads to more authentic representation onscreen."

"Growing up, I didn't dream about becoming an actor. I didn't see myself on the screen. As a little girl, I thought I was one of only a few deaf people walking on this Earth. Now, as an adult, I'm aware there are at least 466 million deaf people and hard-of-hearing people out there. I'm not the only one. And that's what it means to have a deaf superhero - a lot more people will see a lot more possibility," Ridloff shared. 

Eternals hits theaters on November 5th. 

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