Naomi Scott, Jay Lycurgo, and Chanda Dancy for Eternal Return: Finding Whimsy in Hardship
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
“I don’t know why we, as actors, really like these little mics,” stated British star Naomi Scott when preparing for the next interview on the red carpet for the Toronto International Film Festival premiere for Eternal Return: a fantasy romance by Yaniv Raz. “I don’t know why they get us so excited. It’s such a weird thing like, we’re like ‘Oh, it’s a little mic!’ It’s kind of… it’s cute.” It felt startling to see the star of last year’s mortifying horror film, Smile 2, where Scott’s character, singer Skye Riley, is put through the wringer. This magnificent performance is one of complete turmoil as we see Skye go through hell, and Scott turns this slasher film into an unforgettable deconstruction of trauma and agony. On the Eternal Return red carpet, she was at complete peace, cheerful to get the opportunity to discuss this film. Her extreme delight was a testament to how unsung she is as an actor: here was someone I saw go through the worst experience on the big screen last year, and to see her safe, happy, and amused by tiny microphones was comforting. To know that her next film was far more hopeful and cheerful was assuring.
Eternal Return was filmed back in 2023 during the various Hollywood strikes. It was produced entirely in England. The extensive visual effects work may explain the prolonged release date. Eternal Return takes a grieving harpist, Cass, and gives her the option to try and revisit life when her boyfriend, played by Jay Lycurgo, is still alive: before the tragic, fatal plane accident. Her potential way to travel time is via the cosmic backtracking geared by cartographer Virgil (Kit Harrington). Much of Raz’s film is visually scrumptious: within the confines of a wandering mind in search of something more (akin to the hopes of a lost soul). As we follow Cass and hope for the best for her, the audience is brought into a magical realm where reality is as splendid as fiction.
”I feel like it’s a fantastical, enchanting, whimsical love story about a girl who wants to stay in the past, but life’s about moving forward,” Lycurgo said while reflecting on Eternal Return. “I felt like I came in as a piece of the puzzle, if I’m honest. The main thing is that our relationship sets up the film, without any spoilers.” Within a short time frame, Cass’ previous life is established so we know what she lost: the love of her life, her artistic endavours, and a major sense of her own self. “The main thing was to find the chemistry with Naomi,” Lycurgo admitted, proving that the warmth between both characters was crucial so we could see what Cass yearns for while grieving. “She’s incredible, man. I’m so grateful to be able to work with her. She’s the best.
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As Cass searches for her purpose and the love of her life’s past, she gets closer with Virgil in a way that confuses things. Should she reflect on who she was, or who she could be? Life can get cyclical with its highs and lows, and the score’s composer, Chanda Dancy, wanted to capture this “waltz” between triumph and tribulation. “One reason why we chose a waltz type of thing was because it’s the waltz of life,” she explains. “It’s the dance of life. It’s like a circle of life. You go round and round. It was important that we brought the audience along to feel like they’re a part of the dance of life. Experiencing all of the ups and downs that life brings. Overall, [life is] still beautiful. It was important that the music is beautiful [too].”
Trying to tiptoe the line between whimsy and schmaltz in a romantic film like Eternal Return could be challenging, since the genre typically lends itself to being fluffier, but Dancy focused on ways to try and ensure that the film’s music wouldn’t steer the tone of Eternal Return in the wrong direction. “I wouldn’t say that it was super sappy emotional,” she describes. It was more like warm and with a little bit of exotic undertones for the fantasy, time travel [concepts]. I used a few non-traditional instruments like geomungo or Tibetan bells, with different types of synthesizers underneath the orchestral parts. I felt like that canvas of colours can show the audience love and loss in the waltz of life.
“ When I asked her if the use of the international and unique instruments was to symbolize how life, death, and all that lies in between are unifying concepts, she concurred: “It’s universal! That’s how I wanted the score to feel. Life is this universal language that everyone can understand. We all go through the same things.”
While Eternal Return may not come even close to Smile 2 in terms of the darkness Scott has experienced on screen, it was worthwhile pointing out to her that she is astonishingly capable of putting herself in extreme darkness or elation for her roles; this is the same star who would play Princess Jasmine in Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin not that long ago. When I told Scott that her ability to be so vulnerable on screen felt effortless, she simply replied “Wow.” She would clarify how her scenes read versus what work goes into them: “It’s interesting. As you know, the way movies are made, scenes are not filmed in chronological order. As an actor, you’re not necessarily going through the emotional journey that your character is going through. You have to tap into the emotion on the day [of shooting] and be open to see what comes. I am pretty good at switching off [my characters] after a day and leaving it all behind. [However,] your body doesn’t always know the difference.”
That only establishes the difficulty in creating a through line within a film, especially a journey of cosmology and nostalgia like the one present in Eternal Return. Toss in the fact that the film was made during the parade of filmmaking strikes of 2023, and you begin to see the challenges that lay ahead. Despite all of this, Scott expressed pure elation regarding working on a film this bubbly and enchanting. “This movie was a beautiful experience because we got to shoot this movie in London,” she explains. “We got to shoot this movie during the strike. Obviously, with an all British cast, we were able to make a movie during a time where not a lot of people were making movies. That was a blessing.” She certainly does not take this opportunity for granted, and her appearance at TIFF to promote the film in such a sincere way proves this (as do the kind words of all the cast and crew who appeared).
Even though she appreciates being recognized for Smile 2, I believe that Scott is thrilled to be championed for her versatility and openness to try on so many different things. She is a musician as well as an actor: a fact that has played in a number of her roles (including the music-heavy Lemonade Mouth); she even recorded an EP as the character Skye Riley to promote Smile 2. She can tap into gentle hearts as much as she can stand her ground in works like 2017’s Power Rangers and 2019’s Charlie’s Angels. For Eternal Return, things may be business as usual, but Scott also loves being a part of the chemistry that her projects offer her. “ I think that there was an energy surrounding this movie that was really one of hope and was uplifting in a way,” she says in comparison to last year’s Smile 2. “Although it deals with real things like loss and grief, so it was a different energy. Smile 2 was just so intense all the time. Going into that hole got me there. This was a different energy. There’s a whimsical nature about it. There’s an elegant sweetness that’s also grounded in a true emotion.”
Cast and crew will always make appearances to promote their latest works, but there was a certain tenderness that radiated from Scott, Lycurgo, and Dancy when discussing Eternal Return: a humbly curated film at TIFF 50. This is the kind of film that wasn’t discussed often and of which isn’t as boastful in nature compared to the epic, artistic, difficult films that film festivals usually advertise. The kindness delivered to each and every red carpet participant for Eternal Return is indicative of the hospitable nature of the film: it is, after all, a tale of darkness told with love and sweetness. Understanding that this film is uncharacteristically years in the making and knowing that everyone believes in it enough to come all the way to Toronto to cherish it allows me to see something that may not always be present in the film industry: sincerity and faith.
While I did manage to watch Eternal Return and could feel the intended care from the film, even that couldn’t compare to the energy that came from these red carpet interviews, delivered by cast and crew who love what they do (no matter how big or small their contributions to the big picture are). If we live in uncertain times, it’s this kind of grace that makes everything feel a little bit better: a perfect match for what Eternal Return strives to portray when it comes to perseverance amidst trauma. Just like Scott openly expressed her amusement with tiny microphones during interviews, it’s worth appreciating the small pleasantries in life; whatever helps us get back to those highs after we wallow in those lows.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.