Eternals Actor Thinks Sprite Being Human Will Drive Her Crazy
Warning! SPOILERS ahead for Eternals.
Eternals star Lia McHugh thinks Sprite being human will drive her crazy in future appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Director Chloé Zhao’s Eternals was released in theaters in November and is now available to stream on Disney+. The film introduces its titular team of immortals, who were created and sent to Earth by the Celestials thousands of years ago. Its star-studded cast includes Lauren Ridloff, Gemma Chan, Kumail Nanjiani, Richard Madden, Don Lee, Barry Keoghan, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Kit Harrington, Angelina Jolie, and Lia McHugh.
McHugh plays Sprite, the Eternals’ resident illusionist who, like her fellow immortals, hasn't aged in the last 7,000 years. This is an issue for Sprite—who Kingo (Nanjiani) dubs “Tinker Bell”—because she’s been trapped in the body of a child her entire life. Due to her existential frustration, and unrequited love for Ikaris (Madden), Sprite sides with the latter as he attempts to aid the Emergence of a new Celestial to occur on Earth. After failing to kill Sersi (Chan), the pair form the Uni-Mind with the other Eternals. At the end of Eternals, Sersi uses the remaining Uni-Mind energy to remove Sprite's Celestial energy and make her human.
In a recent interview with CBR, Lia McHugh discussed how Sprite's newfound ability to age will affect her character. The actress thinks coping with her human transformation and being flesh and blood may drive Sprite crazy. Read the full quote below:
"As a human, I honestly think she might go a little crazy... I think she may be a bit of a troubled child if I'm being honest with you. I bet she'll grow up and be so excited to do everything. I think about that sometimes, about where she would be when we come back in [the potential] Eternals 2... I think it's funny to think that maybe she turns into a crazy teen and Kingo has to wrangle her."
McHugh went on to talk about how it’s Sprite’s desperation for humanity that drives her to become selfish and betray Sersi and the rest of her family. She knows that if she allows the emergence to occur, Arishem, the Prime Celestial, will erase her memory and send her to another planet—which will make her betrayal all the easier to stomach. Ironically, Sersi gifting Sprite humanity is what saves her from Arishem in the end.
After Ikaris flies into the sun, Makkari (Lauren), Druig (Keoghan), and Thena (Jolie) leave Earth to warn other Eternals of what they learned about their creators. Sersi, Kingo, and Phastos (Henry) are then snatched from Earth by Arishem, who is displeased with their mutiny and will use their memories to justify Earth’s fate. Sprite, now a hormonal teenager, is left by herself on Earth. While a sequel to Eternals has yet to be confirmed by Disney/Marvel Studios, the film’s cliffhanger ending and post-credits scenes—including that Black Knight tease and the introduction of Starfox (Harry Styles)—make future films and/or spinoff shows seem inevitable.
Source: CBR