Kumail Nanjiani Talks Extreme Diet For His Ripped The Eternals Body, Including His Sad ‘Snacks'

Kumail Nanjiani screaming in a movie

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is in an interesting place right now, as we're currently in the interim period between Phases. But there are some very exciting projects coming down the pipeline for Marvel fans, chief among them being Chloé Zhao's The Eternals. The upcoming blockbuster will be a massive cosmic story through time, featuring an impressively diverse cat. Actor Kumail Nanjiani got ripped for his role as Kingo, breaking the internet in the process. He was on an extremely tough diet in preparation, including the most disappointing "snacks" ever.

The Eternals only recently wrapped principal photography, with Kumail Nanjiani returning home after shooting the Marvel movie in various international locations. He appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live shortly thereafter, where he spoke to the hardcore diet that made him go viral, and even get a free 10-year subscription to Pornhub. As Nanjiani put it,

You work out every day, and you sort of learn to enjoy it. But the diet is the hardest thing. I have not had pizza or a donut in over a year. I’ve had no refined sugar in a year. I’ve had almost no carbs at all. You know what my snack has been? I tell people ‘Actually it’s not bad.’ You know what my snack is? I get a bag of sugar snap peas and I eat them. That’s what I’ve been doing at night when I’m like ‘I’m a little hungry, I’m going to treat myself. Crunch crunch.’

Well, that's intense. Kumanil Nanjiani might be the poster boy for the male physique at the moment, but he definitely worked his ass off to get there. Including depriving himself of the finer things in life for a year, including things like sugar and carbs. But... yay for snap peas?

Kumail Nanjiani's comments on Jimmy Kimmel Live show how grueling it is to get a superheroic body. The actors we see in tights and capes work extremely hard in order transform themselves physically. Luckily they have help, with a nutritionist and personal trainer provided. But Nanjiani and his peers had to do the work themselves, in addition to filming The Eternals. And for over a year!

You can check out Kumail Nanjiani's full interview below, which includes when host Jimmy Kimmel gifted him with desserts and pizza.

It takes a lot dedication to make yourself into a superhero, and Kumail Nanjiani clearly did the work for his role in The Eternals. While he's been an actor on TV and film for years, it's definitely a major gig for the Silicon Valley alum. The MCU is massively popular, and his role has the potential to really grow into something bigger within the shared universe. It doesn't seem out of the question that The Eternals would crossover for whatever big Avengers-style movie happens down the line.

The Eternals will arrive November 6th. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.