Eternals Star Recalls Filming Humiliating Scene In Front of Angelina Jolie
Lia McHugh, who played Sprite in Eternals, shares an embarrassing scene she filmed with Angelina Jolie that ended up being cut from the movie.
Eternals actress Lia McHugh recalled the time she filmed an embarrassing scene in front of Angelina Jolie. McHugh, now 17 years old, is an actress who has appeared in horror films such as Totem and The Lodge. Despite her limited film experience, McHugh was chosen to play Sprite in the Marvel superhero film. As the youngest Eternal, Sprite had the appearance of a young girl despite being on Earth for thousands of years. Her superpowers include telepathy, telekinesis, and projecting cosmic illusions.
As part of Phase 4 of the MCU, Eternals introduced the titular group of immortal beings who were sent to Earth to protect humanity from the Eternals’ evil counterparts, the Deviants. The film was directed by Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao and starred an ensemble cast including Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, and Jolie. Despite recieving mixed to negative reviews, Eternals was another commercial success for Marvel. It went on to become the tenth-highest-grossing film of 2021 and earned over $400 million worldwide.
In a recent interview with Cinema Blend, McHugh looked back on her unforgettable experience working on the set of Eternals and filming with superstars. The young actress laughed at the memory of one incident when she had to film an embarrassing scene with Jolie’s character Thena. According to McHugh, the particular scene involved her singing an awful rendition of Skeeter Davis’ “The End of the World” in front of her A-list co-star. Thankfully for the young actress, the part ended up being cut from the final film. Read her account below:
I had to shoot a scene where I had to sing karaoke on the private jet, and I have to say, it’s probably one of the most humiliating moments of my life. I had to just go all out and I sang the song that played in the [the first Eternals] trailer actually. I had to sing that song to Angelina Jolie. I was like singing to her and to Barry and Kumail. It was probably the most embarrassing moment of my life and I remember Chloé coming up to me and she was like, ‘Are you trying to sing badly, Lia?’ And I wasn’t, but I was like ‘Yeah, definitely.’
The deleted scene was probably meant to provide comic relief in between the movie’s tension-building narrative and action set pieces. It was written to reference Eternals’ first official trailer, which opened with the same song. Unfortunately for fans who would want to see this funny karaoke moment, it won’t be part of Eternals’ home release, which will be dropping on Tuesday, Feb. 15.
Eternals may have received criticisms for its slow pacing and failing to resolve several plot holes, but it succeeded in assembling an epic cast with several high-profile celebrities. To see the actors get along and have fun both on- and off-screen was a treat for fans. So far, it is unclear if the movie will get a sequel, as most Marvel films do. However, if further installments do come to be, McHugh’s Sprite may not be a part of future sequels since her character decided to become fully mortal before the first film’s conclusion, giving up her powers. If Eternals does get a sequel, it will certainly be curious to see which direction it will take and how it will impact the MCU as a whole.
