How Kumail Nanjiani Deals With Being In Both The MCU & Star Wars

Kumail Nanjiani explains how he avoids getting overwhelmed even though he has roles in both Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Nanjiani himself originally began his career in entertainment as a stand-up comedian. His roles in projects like Silicon Valley and The Big Sick propelled him into the mainstream spotlight, with the actor now lined up to star in two of Disney's most successful properties. These projects have marked a shift in the actor's resume toward more tentpole, blockbuster properties as opposed to the smaller-scale, more comedy-driven properties that the actor originally started his career with.

Nanjiani will appear in Disney+'s Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series next year, as well as Marvel Studios' upcoming film from director Chloé Zhao, Eternals. Although Nanjiani's role in the former Star Wars project has yet to be unveiled, he is confirmed to play an Eternal named Kingo in the latter. Given the fact that both properties belong to two of the most lucrative franchises in the popular consciousness, transitioning from one to the other was no doubt a disorienting experience for the actor.

In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant promoting the upcoming release of Eternals, Nanjiani recently discussed how he navigates being in two of the biggest franchises of all time simultaneously. He says that he has to "just make it small in [his] head" or else the weight of the responsibility would overwhelm him. The actor had a similar takeaway while working on the Kenobi series, saying that he had "to ignore that everything looks like Star Wars" while filming – likely a Herculean task considering the intricate costumes and set-dressings that adorn every Star Wars production. Check out Nanjiani's full comments below:

Well, you just make it small in your head. You can't go to the MCU, go to Eternals, and be like, "Oh my God! I'm playing a superhero in the MCU. This is overwhelming." You just sort of do the work, and it doesn't really hit you until the movie comes up. Right now is when it's actually starting to hit me.

For Star Wars, again, it was for me a job, and it was really fun. Ewan McGregor's amazing. But when you're there, you kind of have to ignore that everything looks like Star Wars, and that you're dressed like someone in Star Wars. I don't allow it to sink into myself, otherwise I get intimidated. When the series comes out, I think, is when I'll start dealing with it.

Nanjiani goes on to say that the weight of his roles "doesn't really hit you until the [project] comes up." With Eternals releasing in a few short weeks, the actor is undoubtedly feeling the pressure of his MCU debut starting to kick in. But the Kenobi series is still many months away, so thankfully Nanjiani will have some time to recuperate before jumping into the exhausting press junket marathon once again.

The actor's inclusion in both Star Wars and the MCU is highly welcome, especially considering the dearth of South Asian representation present in either franchise. Nanjiani himself is well aware of this issue, frequently citing problematic South Asian stereotypes that he hopes to shatter with the blockbuster roles he accepts. As both franchises move forward, hopefully they leave space for Nanjiani to reprise his role in future installments.

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