When Kumail Nanjiani was cast in The Eternals, he went to Marvel and asked if they would help him get into superhero shape for the movie. They agreed, helping him out with dietitians, food-preparers and fitness trainers. All of it changed his life in profound ways – he’s still the same cat-cuddling gamer and comedy nerd, but now he’s ripped as hell and obsessed with working out and maintaining everything. Plus, in interviews, he sounds like he’s aware of how close he’s coming to disordered eating, and he also thinks about food constantly. I trust Kumail and his self-awareness though, and for the past two years, it mostly sounds like he’s just gotten into a new thing and he’s trying not to f–k it up.
So over the holiday season, Kumail posted various photos to his social media of his stay-at-home lowkey celebrations with his wife Emily. As you can see, Kumail still looks beyond ripped. He’s also kept the weight off of his face and he’s looking incredibly chiseled. Which led to people on the internet making fun of him for, like, keeping up his workouts and not gaining tons of weight after he finished The Eternals?
We make it so that performance enhancing drugs or plastic surgery are all but mandatory for certain professions or beauty standards, but admitting to them is taboo. Too little of these things and you’re ugly, just a hair too much of them and you’re grotesque. It’s a nightmare
— Chelsea Fagan (@Chelsea_Fagan) January 3, 2021
"Yes, I am comedian and co-star of the HBO comedy Silicon Valley Kumail Nanjiani, how could you tell?" pic.twitter.com/ApajaLPxlZ
— Wemin O'Misechs (@GinzoBall) January 3, 2021
wow i can’t believe kumail nanjiani’s transformation for this marvel movie pic.twitter.com/foytALg9Rx
— krat (@KWholesaler) January 3, 2021
You get the idea. After all of that – including many accusing Kumail of using steroids – there was a backlash to those people and accusations of racism:
What's going on with Kumail on here is racism, straight up.
— Alex Winter (@Winter) January 3, 2021
Chris Pratt can bulk up for a marvel movie and everyone is cool with is.
Kumail Nanjiani does it and people call him “grotesque” and assume he’s using steroids.
I hate it here. pic.twitter.com/9LSfvreUtc
— Michelle (@meesh_llegos) January 3, 2021
I'm confused. Are y'all really mad about how Kumail Nanjiani looks in an upcoming Marvel movie?
Does nobody remember what Chris Pratt or Chris Evans looked like before landing superhero roles? Or do we just reserve that kind of criticism for people of color?
— Danielle Ames 🇺🇸🌊🌈 (@DanielleAmes10) January 3, 2021
Anyway, yeah, all of that. I think Kumail worked harder than he ever has in his life to transform his body and he doesn’t want to backslide, and he’s doing a good job keeping it up. As for the changes to his face and how he looks so chiseled now – many men and women lose the “roundness” in their faces in their late 30s and 40s. I’m still waiting for that to happen to me so I can have some real g–damn cheekbones, but no, I still have the same old chubby babyface as always.
Photos courtesy of Kumail’s Instagram.
Yeah…it’s the not so subtle racism for me. Gross.
It really is. As a person of color, you just can’t win.
That’s why we gotta do whatever the f*ck we want to do whenever possible. Waiting on vvhyte folks’ approval will have you dying a haggard, miserable, joyless husk.
Whites COUNT ON BLACKS — kids would have almost no music or fashion or slang or anything else.
And white older folks are still “high fiving” to this day.
Whites lack creativity these days. And the more we co-opt black culture the less we try.
Remember, “Imitation is the highest form of flattery.”
.
Also, I’ve always LOVED him! He’s got such great comedic energy and I always saw him as hot, so when he got so fit, it was over the top.
I say good for him. Why shouldn’t he take a different tack if he likes it and it makes him feel better about himself? How is it anybody’s business but his and, maybe, his wife? He seems very honest about his process. MINOR COMMENT: However, I have to add that whatever that is on his plate in photo one looks unappetizing as hell to me.
He looks great. He was funny in Death to 2020 on Netflix playing an Elon musk type guy.
Absolutely nothing surprises me anymore and thats scary. Trolling a man for being healthy and yes, its because he is a person of color. Chris Pratt wasvexcellent comparison.
I listened to the podcast, ‘Staying in with Emily & Kumail’, about coping during the pandemic. These two are a terrific couple. As for Kumail’s backlash on fitness/shapeshifting for a movie, interesting to note that white male stars get accolades & he’s getting dumped on. He’ll be just fine, though, I have no doubt.
He looked great before and he looks great now! And he is very fit, but it seems realistic and attainable through systemic lifestyle changes rather than just roids. I think westerners are more comfortable seeing Asian men as emasculated punchlines, so it’s a threat to their stereotypes to see an Asian man presenting as more traditionally masculine and fit. So yes, I think this is fueled by racism.
Yeah considering the consistent swooning over the white bread Chrises bulking up? I’d say we have a little bit of racism going on here! Way to show your a**es nice and early in the new year social media!
And look…I’ll say it…it’s unlikely any of them bulked up to the extent and speed they do without “assistance”. Sorry, but it really is. Sadly I think it would actually take a health crisis for one of these superhero actors before we are ready to reckon with that. Honestly this has troubled me for awhile.
I’m so sick of people commenting on other peoples’ bodies. It’s got to stop.
I mean, I do think the superhero physiques they’re pushing are incredibly unhealthy ideals to put out there as expectations for men to live up to, but I’m not going to sh*t on the guy for doing what he has to for a superhero role in a movie. He’s getting paid a lot to look like that. Might as well maintain it.
What I liked the most about Kumail’s transformation is that, unlike many others who swear by this terrible “anyone can look like this if they work hard enough and those who can’t it’s because they’re lazy and always make excuses” mentality, he always made it clear that he was able to change his body only because Marvel put (and paid for) all the best and most expensive trainers, nutritionists and chefs at his disposal. I think he looks fantastic and he seems happy with his new image, and that’s all that should matter.
Yes, this is an often overlooked aspect! He not only talks about the work involved, and credits the professionals who help him out.
I will also add that physical “transformations”, especially uncomfortable ones, are often used to give more kudos to a white actor’s performance. I’m thinking especially of actors who have gained weight or worn a prosthetic nose etc to better embody a character. Oscar voters especially seem to revel in “They gained twenty pounds for the role and then lost it again” story.
I wonder if it has to do with the racist assumptions about what roles Kumail might be up for in the future? Like, people don’t mind him as a cute, non-threatening, comedic buddy of the main character, but they feel threatened if he is striving to be the star, to have a story and a love interest. There’s a real “know your place” vibe I’m getting from some of the negative comments I’ve seen about him. Gross.
Am I a pervert because I came here just to look at man candy?
Ikr? Let a hot dude be hot. Did we not suffer enough last year? Let us have Hot Kumail.
Haha! He has always been a very handsome and very funny man. I love his voice too! I could go either way on muscles, but if he’s happy, I’m good.
I was like, I ain’t mad about it
He looks great and should be proud of his achievement. Still, he’s been talking about it for a while. I get it. He excited and likes the way he looks.
I’m just straight up envious that he manages to look like this, help or no help. I would love a nutritionist, trainer, and possibly chef but I doubt I would look shredded. It’s just not me. But I would love to know what it’s like. Just once. So yeah, I get annoyed when actors transform themselves like this because they’re supporting a beauty standard that is just insane for 99% of people. Kumail looks great though and whatever people’s problems with him are, it’s not his discipline. People are racist douchebags and probably jealous (or maybe the latter is just me).
Racism, full stop. Kumail has always been smoking hot and seems like an absolutely lovely person. He guest judged on Drag Race! I love him for that, and for being so candid about the efforts required for this new look. That’s a brand of masculinity I applaud and I can’t wait to see what he does in the Eternals. He has to be funny, right? Why would you hire someone THAT funny and not give him jokes?
Those pictures he posted aren’t shirtless or anything? I was expecting some THIRST TRAP like pics of him at home, shirtless, working out constantly – he’s literally just in his kitchen with a regular tee shirt on. You can see NOTHING and I’m disappointed. LOL. I also took a quick look at the rest of his Instagram page and besides a picture where his arms looked particularly veiny — it’s literally just him in various regular sized (not even skin tight) tee shirts. I really started crushing HARD on him after Love Birds on Netflix. I’m so happy for him and all his success.
I was gonna say, did you not see those forearms?? I like forearms, particularly when a man is wearing a dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up–it’s way better than a T-shirt. But I’ll take Kumail in his T-shirts!
This is messed up! It does feel of racism bc it feels like society is most comfortable with the image of the non-threatening, non-sexual Asian man 🙁
His body, his choice! Leave him alone, world!
My god can poc do anything and it be right??? This blows my mind (although I know it shouldn’t anymore but wow)
I don’t get it, he worked out really hard and followed a meal plan to get fit and people are mad? Why? It’s really weird, it’s almost like saying POC comedians aren’t allowed to get fit and have to stay a certain body size. Like a stay in your lane kind of vibe from the white douchebros. Imagine feeling threatened by this, such fragile masculinity.
He looks hot. 😍 Idiots always try to police POC’s actions and bodies, 🙄 they’re just mad and insecure.
I hated silicone valley but he was the best part of it. My bf is an Indian comic book nerd and it’s so refreshing to not just see loads of white dudes named Chris in our fave franchise.
I’ve had a thing for him for years and he looks so hot! He looks happy and healthy so who cares what his workouts and diet is like? He is 1000x better than any of the Hollywood Chrisses.
Hasan Minhaj’s Lie Detector Test for V.F. speaks to a lot of this.
(starts about 1:46)
Basically, schlubby white guys you went to high school with get to be hot in Hollywood, but you have to be a full 10 to be considered hot of you’re a male POC.
https://twitter.com/VanityFair/status/1330935938470600704?s=20
Man is a damn snack & people need to leave him alone. He looks fantastic. He worked hard for it. he’s inherently a decent person on the inside- he’s just buffed up the outside a lil bit. Chris Pratt is forever worst Chris & no amount of exterior polish can change it.
You really can’t win in today’s society. There’s always someone offended or looking too deep into something. If you gain weight you get shamed, and now if you bulk up you get shamed. Crazy!
The problem here is this is drugs. That is HGH jaw. So if you are passing this off as diet and exercise, it’s dishonest.
Clearly these people have never watched their formerly chiseled jaw get covered up by pudge. Cheeseburgers can hide a lot folks!
FWIW I thought he was stunning from the jump ripped or not
He looks great and I’m not accusing him of roids but….how do you change your jaw that drastically? In all of the Chris transformations that people are pointing to, their jawline didn’t change, maybe that is what people are noticing as not possible without “Medical” intervention.
Um, he’s had that jawline, it just used to be covered up with a beard. Age, weight loss & low bmi will do that too. I have very defined cheekbones even though I’m carrying quite a bit of extra weight right now, just cause I’m older.
Good for him but damn the man looks tired
The blatant racism is disgusting. He looks healthy and happy.