Lauren Ridloff is set to make her official Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debut when Eternals hits the theaters next month. In the film, the actress plays Makari, one of the superheroes belonging to the ancient race known as Eternals.

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And while the cast includes several A-listers (Oscar winner Angelina Jolie and Oscar nominee Salma Hayek also play superheroes in the film), Ridloff is a relative newcomer to Hollywood. That said, this deaf actress had already made her mark even before joining the MCU.

Lauren Ridloff Became An Actress By Chance

Before she became an actress, Ridloff had been a kindergarten teacher. For a period of time, she also decided to be a stay-at-home mom (she has two sons). That is, until director Kenn Leon was looking for someone who can serve as a sign language tutor. At that time, Leon was preparing to stage a revival of Children of a Lesser God on Broadway. Joshua Jackson had already landed the part of the leading man. However, Leon was yet to cast his leading lady. As if by instinct, Leon asked Ridloff to participate in a table read. Soon after, she got the part.

Leon thought she was a natural. “If you didn’t know her résumé, you’d swear she’d been doing this her whole life,” he told The New York Times. “You’re dealing with an actress that doesn’t know what she’s doing, and communicating with her in a language she doesn’t speak, and trying to connect another actor to her — but she had a presence that I thought could transfer easily to the stage, and she has instinct enough that she can’t make a false move.” The play received lukewarm reviews, although there was much praise for Ridloff’s performance, so much so that it earned her a Tony nomination. And even as it ended its run, Ridloff decided she would keep acting. “I feel like acting is a study of humanity, and I am loving that,” the actress explained.

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Following her Broadway debut, it didn’t take long for Ridloff to book various roles. Most notably, she also got a small part in the film Wonderstruck, which also stars Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, and A Quiet Place star Millicent Simmonds.

She Got Cast In The Walking Dead

After working on films, Ridloff also decided to audition for a part in the horror series The Walking Dead. On the show, she got cast as Connie, a deaf survivor who utilizes all of her available senses to stay alive. “She uses sign language and other methods to communicate, but because this is a wild frontier, she uses her inability to engage in small talk as a strength,” Ridloff told Entertainment Weekly. “Her deafness is an advantage — she is the one who stays on guard. She is her group’s eyes.”

At the same, the actress also appreciated how The Walking Dead cast and crew made her feel welcome from the very beginning. In fact, the show’s star, Andrew Lincoln, also gave her a warm reception as he was filming his final episode (although there are rumors that he may return). “He walked out of that scene covered in fake blood and came up to me with an apology,” Ridloff recalled. “He was sorry that he could not hug me at the moment, but he welcomed me to the family.”

Meanwhile, the rest of the cast and crew also worked hard to learn American Sign Language (ASL). “One of my favorite things about this group of people is how each time I come to work, someone surprises me with an ASL phrase they learned!” Ridloff revealed. “Some of the crew downloaded ASL apps on their iPhones to learn to communicate with me. During down times my costars practice the alphabet or learn crazy random phrases in ASL.”

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It seems Ridloff’s performance on The Walking Dead was also enough for her to get the MCU’s attention. It’s just as well since Ridloff herself once admitted, “I would like to be a superhero.” As it turns out, the actress didn’t even need to audition. Marvel, sort of, came to her. “I brought my son to an audition — I can’t tell you what for! — and the casting director saw me and wanted to cast me for something else,” Ridloff told The New York Times. “Then a few months later the casting director reached out to my manager and said, “We want to consider Lauren for a Marvel film…” Upon learning of the role, Ridloff immediately said yes.

For the team behind Eternals, Makkari’s deafness has always been her asset in the film’s story. This is especially considering that Makkari’s power is super speed. “She is constantly vibrating, she's constantly moving,” Marvel producer Nate Moore explained during an interview for Disney Entertainment. “She herself can sense vibrations, so she can actually hear by feeling in the same way that the deaf community hears music by feeling the vibrations.”

Eternals will be released in theaters on November 5. The film is also expected to be available on Disney+ following its theatrical window.

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