The Eternals’ Kumail Nanjiani Reveals His Parents’ Hilarious Reaction To His Ripped Body Transformation

Kumail Nanjiani in The Lovebirds

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Given the popularity of the superhero genre, there's no shortage of comic book adaptations heading to theaters. This includes the massive Marvel Cinematic Universe, which only continues to grow with each Phase of filmmaking. Phase Four will kick off with Black Widow, and there are some very exciting projects coming to both theaters and Disney+. Chief among them is Chloé Zhao's The Eternals, which should span thousands of years and contains plenty of superpowered newcomers. Silicon Valley alum Kumail Nanjiani got super ripped in order to play Kingo, and now he's revealed the hilarious way his parents reacted to his physical transformation.

Kumail Nanjiani revealed his new physique on social media, after dieting and working out for a year. The photos basically broke the internet, and even made its way onto adult film sites like Pornhub. While Nanjiani's wife writer Emily V. Gordon has been open about her thoughts on his transformation, his parents' reaction might have been even better. As he recently put it,

It’s the only time they’ve said vocally that they’re proud of me. It’s the only time! My dad got socks with my shirtless body on it. I had aunts texting me like, ‘We’re so proud of you! You’ve worked so hard!’

Well, that's amazing. Despite already having a successful career as an actor and writer, it looks like it took working out to get some members of Kumail Nanjiani's family to admit out loud how proud they were of him. While they might not have seen every onscreen appearance of Nanjiani's, his physical transformation is a visual reminder of his work ethic. And he worked seriously hard to get into superhero shape.

Kumail Nanjiani's comments to Variety highlights the big reaction that so many of us had over the 42 year-old actor's physical transformation for The Eternals. Nanjiani was in a strict diet and fitness regimen, which resulted in him getting utterly ripped while working on the upcoming Marvel blockbuster. While the general public went gaga over his new physique, the sentiment was also repeated by Kumail's family.

It looks like Kumail Nanjiani's family is utterly thrilled with his body transformation, almost to a comedic degree. Apparently his father got socks printed of his shirtless body, which takes supporting your kid to an entirely new level. Although those of us who saw Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon's movie The Big Sick knows how much growth the actor's family has had in the years since he began a career in comedy.

Marvel fans can re-watch the MCU so far on Disney+. You can use this link for a free 7-day trial to the streaming service.

The contents of The Eternals are largely a mystery at this point, although Chloé Zhao's blockbuster sounds like an ambitious cosmic story. It'll follow a group of immortal aliens, all of whom have their own powers. They'll unite for a new threat to the galaxy, assembling the most diverse cast in Marvel history in the process. Kumail Nanjiani is playing Kingo, and he's previously teased that the new team could kick The Avengers' ass.

The Eternals is currently set to arrive in theaters on February 12th, after being pushed back from its original release date. Be sure to check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.