Richard Madden: Filming Eternals was physically draining

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Richard Madden Disney Studios Showcase Presentation At D23 Expo, Saturday August 24
Richard Madden of 'The Eternals' took part today in the Walt Disney Studios presentation at Disneyโ€™s D23 EXPO 2019 in Anaheim, Calif. 'The Eternals' will be released in U.S. theaters on November 6, 2020. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)
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Richard Madden says it was โ€œphysically f****** drainingโ€ shooting โ€˜Eternalsโ€™.

The 35-year-old actor plays the role of Ikaris, who can fly and project cosmic energy beams from his eyes, in the hotly-anticipated Marvel movie, and he spent a lot of time on wires to perform the flying scenes, which took its toll.

In a new interview with Wonderland Magazine, Richard spilled: โ€œThere was a lot of time on wires because my character flies, which was just physically f****** draining.โ€

On the โ€œlightnessโ€ the complex characters bring to the filmโ€™s โ€œheavyโ€ end-of-the-world subject matter, he teased: โ€œTheyโ€™re all very complicated people in โ€˜Eternalsโ€™, but hopefully that can also help us bring a lightness to some heavy subject matter in terms of the story because I think when you live that long youโ€™ve got to have a bit of a smile to yourself. Youโ€™ve got to laugh at life.โ€

The โ€˜Rocketmanโ€™ actor added how โ€œhumanisingโ€ the Eternals are.

He explained: โ€œYeah, thatโ€™s the whole thing. Thatโ€™s what we want. In this, you get to see me in these huge costumes and in this kind of mad, superhero detached way.

โ€œThen we get to play with the element of just being people who have known each other for a long time, who, when youโ€™ve experienced everything in the world, what is it they can learn? Thatโ€™s what we found interesting and humanising.

โ€œThen we got dress up in there, the fun, which is real life isnโ€™t it?โ€

Meanwhile, after a number of serious roles, Richard insisted heโ€™s ready for a comedy now.

The โ€˜1917โ€™ star told the publication: โ€œIโ€™m dying to do some more comedy, I want to do something fun. In โ€˜Eternalsโ€™, we tried to get moments of lightness all the way through it, being that weโ€™re dealing with the end of the world type feelings and atmospheres.

โ€œItโ€™s hard to get that lightness but thatโ€™s whatโ€™s so important, to get these lighter moments when we can. Iโ€™d love to do some more comedies. I do feel like I end up playing a lot of serious things.

โ€œI think itโ€™s not representative of me but you get affected with what you do, what you spend all your day doing, so thatโ€™s why Iโ€™d love to do something lighter so my day is affected with lighter things rather than the end of the world stuff.โ€