Kumail Nanjiani is ‘very grateful for' for ‘Eternals': ‘I'm very proud'

Kumail Nanjiani is looking back on his time in Marvel’s Eternals with a sense of pride and gratitude, even though the film failed to meet expectations when it was released. 

Speaking on a recent episode of NPR’s Wild Card with Rachel Martin, the actor reflected on how the experience reshaped the way he approaches his work and success in Hollywood.

Nanjiani, who played the superhero Kingo in the 2021 fantasy film, made it clear that criticism hasn’t changed how he feels about his own performance. 

“I’m very proud of my performance in it,” he said. 

“And it’s rare to say, but I actually wouldn’t change anything about how I am in that movie.” 

The role placed him alongside a high-profile cast that included Kit Harington, Richard Madden, Gemma Chan and Angelina Jolie, making the project a major moment in his career.

Despite the excitement surrounding its release, Eternals struggled at the box office and received mixed to lukewarm reviews from critics. 

For Nanjiani, however, the outcome pushed him toward an important realization about the limits of control actors have once a project is finished. 

On the podcast, he explained that the experience taught him to separate personal growth from public reception.

“Most times if I’m acting in something, I do not get to decide how good it’s gonna be,” Nanjiani said. 

“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, he added, is the value he takes from the work itself. “What I do get to choose is whether or not I learned from it, you know?”

That shift in mindset has stayed with him. Nanjiani emphasized that setbacks no longer feel like dead ends. 

“So to me, that’s been a thing that I have to remind myself over and over and over and over – is that a failure is not a failure. It truly is an opportunity to learn… What I can control is learning from every job and taking a joyful approach to every job.”

The perspective comes as Nanjiani enters a new chapter creatively. 

He recently returned to stand-up comedy for the first time in a decade with his Hulu special Night Thoughts. 

Looking back, he says Eternals played a meaningful role in shaping how he balances ambition, expectation and satisfaction, making it an experience he remains “very grateful for” despite its rocky reception.