Kumail Nanjiani – Becoming Immortal

Kumail Nanjiani broke the internet when he posted this shirtless pic of his Eternals transformation. Here’s his Marvel metamorphosis.

Mid-2019, Kumail Nanjiani was filming the last episode of his hit HBO comedy, Silicon Valley. The show followed a group of nerdy app creators navigating the cutthroat world of big tech. Not much changed over the course of six seasons except, by the finale, Nanjiani’s character, the insecure coder Dinesh, had become an absolute unit—his biceps suddenly bulging out of polos.

The bulk-up wasn’t the producer’s idea, nor a studio directive for Eternals (in theaters Nov. 5), in which Nanjiani plays Kingo, a cocky, cosmic-powered warrior living undercover as a Bollywood star. The only green light Nanjiani needed to get in shape was from himself.

Underground Operation

The transformation took place at Granite Gym in Beverly Hills, a dimly lit basement that Grant Roberts, the trainer behind Nanjiani’s incredible transformation, had quietly built into one of Hollywood’s most exclusive training facilities.

Even though Eternals is about a group of immortal beings with superhuman powers, Marvel was perfectly happy with Kingo being the more “normal looking” one, says Roberts. But for Nanjiani, who grew up obsessed with comic books, the gig was a massive opportunity to portray a South Asian superhero in a Marvel franchise. He wanted a physicality that could stack up to Superman or Thor.

Breaking the Mold—and Internet