Eternals is now playing in theaters, and each main character in the film has their own, epic superpower. Lauren Ridloff’s Makkari has super speed, making her the fastest hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, there’s debate if she’s the fasted person in any comic book movie. During a recent chat with CineXpress, Ridloff was asked who was faster, Makkari or DC’s The Flash. While Ridloff believes the answer is Makkari, she admitted that her son is Team Flash.ย
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“Okay, so this is a conversation I had with my son,” Ridloff explained. “When he first found out that I was going to be the fastest woman in the universe he said, ‘No you’re not.’ He brought over his laptop and looked into the computer and said, ‘Look! It’s true! Flash is faster than Makkari.’ But I’m sure Makkari…because she travels faster than the speed of sound.”
While Makkari also has superspeed in the comics, the character is otherwise very different from Ridloff’s version. On the page, the character is a “hulking, hearing white dude.” Of course, Ridloff is a deaf woman of color,ย which makes her the franchise’s first deaf hero. Ridloff recently had a chat withย The New York Timesย aboutย Eternalsย and shared some insights into what it’s like being a deaf performer on a film set.ย
“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.ย
Eternals is now playing in theaters.ย
