Most of us have been there: We buy a really cool new outfit only to learn that actually wearing it is a little more complicated. For me it was a wrap dress that I, for the life of me, could not figure out how to properly wrap. But for Kumail Nanjiani, it was a slightly more intense new outfit. It was, naturally, his superhero costume for Eternals. As Kingo, one of the titular Eternals, Nanjiani rocks a very dapper purple superhero costume. However, according to the actor, it took a little while to figure out exactly how to wear it.
Nanjiani recently stopped by Late Night with Seth Meyers to promote the film, which just opened in theaters. The Big Sick actor spoke about how cool it was to be a part of the film and how excited he was that his parents loved the movie. But he also shared a little behind the scenes magic on how difficult it was to get into costume.
Thankfully, the costume was apparently pretty comfortable. But it came with several parts, so it took a few minutes to get together. Certainly longer than it takes the Eternals on-screen. So once it was on he did everything in his power to avoid using the bathroom. No water, coffee—nothing. But apparently it wasn’t a universal issue as a few weeks into filming he spotted costar Brian Tyree Henry sipping on some coffee. (One can only imagine he looked carefree in his superhero get up with his coffee as a caffeine-deprived, dehydrated Nanjiani watched.)
In an unfortunate turn of events though, the actor missed a pivotal part of the costume. Yep, it had a zipper. Meaning he’d been wearing his pants backwards for weeks. And his tragic temporary caffeine and water-free lifestyle was all for naught. Now, I do have a few follow-ups: Namely, how does one go so long without realizing this particular issue? And where exactly was this mysterious zipper hiding?
But as someone who has worn many clothing items inside out or backwards and left the house, who am I to judge? Kumail Nanjiani—and his glorious superhero suit—star in Marvel’s Eternals, which is in theaters now.