Angelina Jolie Calls Ban On 'Eternals' In Saudi Arabia And Other Countries 'Ignorant'

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie, has weighed in on her recently released film ‘Eternals’, getting banned in several countries, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, for refusing to censor gay scenes in the superhero film. In a round table press conference, while promoting the Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Jolie called tha ban ignorant and lauded producers’ decision to not cut those scenes out.

“I’m sad for [those audiences]. And I’m proud of Marvel for refusing to cut those scenes out. I still don’t understand how we live in a world today where there’s still [people who] would not see the family Phastos has and the beauty of that relationship and that love. How anybody is angry about it, threatened by it, doesn’t approve or appreciate it is ignorant,” she said during the press conference.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the latest Marvel Studios film ‘Eternals’ has been banned in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait. Sources informed the portal that the LGBT connection in the film might be the reason.

In the Chloe Zhao-directed film, Brian Tyree Henry's Phastos, one of the titular characters and a weapon developer and technological specialist, is a gay man who shares a kiss with his husband Ben (played by Haaz Sleiman). This is the first time in a Marvel film that a same-sex pair is featured.

Writer-director Chloé Zhao was instrumental in this decision, as she urged Marvel to not censor the film for international audiences who might disapprove, and the studio agreed. According to the website, local censors (in these countries) made edit demands that Disney refused to fulfil. The film was set to be released in the Gulf on November 11. The film is still scheduled to be released in the United Arab Emirates.