As the world patiently waits for Marvel’s next gargantuan flick, Eternals , one actor has already made news among the star-studded cast. Harish Patel, 68, is a veteran Bollywood actor who has snatched a supporting role in the upcoming film, which is set for release on November 5 in the US. So what do we know about the actor? Nomadland director Chloé Zhao: from Beijing to the Golden Globes He has a background in theatre While he debuted in Bollywood with Shyam Benegal’s Mandi (1983) and shot to stardom as Ibu Hatela in Gunda (1998), Patel is also a prolific theatre actor. He worked with the late illustrious Indian theatre director Satyadev Dubey for decades, and has amassed an impressive repertoire of plays mostly in English, like Harold Pinter’s The Caretaker , Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit and Albert Camus’ Cross Purpose . In 2007, Patel played the lead role in Ayub Khan-Din’s play Rafta, Rafta … which opened at the National Theatre in London to rave reviews. Meet Radhika Merchant, Anant Ambani’s girlfriend – and possible future wife? He has worked with Simon Pegg and David Schwimmer Before he was cast in Eternals , Patel had already appeared in a number of English-language films and TV shows. He starred as the Indian immigrant in BBC Two’s series The Buddha of Suburbia (1993), he played Raj the shopkeeper the TV film adaptations of writer and TV personality David Walliams’ books ( Mr. Stink, Gangsta Granny, The Boy in the Dress and Grandpa’s Great Escape ), and co-starred in David Schwimmer-directed Run Fatboy Run (2007) with Simon Pegg. Most recently, he starred as Haroon in The Four Weddings and a Funeral TV adaptation, which is streaming on Hulu. From palace to silver screen: 7 Bollywood stars from royal families Salma Hayek told him he got his MCU role In Eternals , Patel will play Karun opposite Kumail Nanjiani’s character Kingo. He auditioned for the role in 2019 in London and was immediately called for a read-through with the entire cast. In an interview with Hindustan Times , he revealed that he didn’t know many of the actors before filming began. “While we were reading, Richard Madden and Kumail Nanjiani were sitting on my left and right hand side. I haven’t seen Game of Thrones ,” he said. Alumni from the fantasy series, Kit Harington and Richard Madden, are also part of the Eternals cast, along with Angelina Jolie. Chloé Zhao on fangirling, storytelling and how Nomadland came to be In the same interview, he recounted that his co-star Salma Hayek actually told him he got the role. “Someone patted me on my back and said hello. I found that voice very sweet, so when I turned back to see who it was – it was Salma Hayek,” he said. Patel also wasn’t very familiar with the Marvel universe before he took on the role. He told Pinkvilla , “I don’t even know what MCU is all about. All I know is that it is Marvel.” He added that Oscar-winning Nomadland director Chloé Zhao, the director of Eternals , said his role is a fan favourite and she can’t wait for him to watch the film. He struggles with English #HarishPatel who is playing an unknown role in #Eternals and was seen in both the teasers of Eternals is a well known #Bollywood Actor who is known for his villian roles in the 80's. He is well known for his role as ' Ibu Hatela'. pic.twitter.com/wfucjFB0on — Marvel Plays (@Marvel_Plays) May 26, 2021 During his table read with the Eternals cast, Patel told cast mate Nanjiani that he struggles with English. “I told Kumail that I am not that good or fluent with English … I guess he told everyone about this and they all smiled at me and were so humble,” he told Hindustan Times . He further shared about how he overcame his struggles with learning English in an interview with Brut India . “I have studied in a Hindi medium school. I think in Hindi and I even dream in Hindi,” he said. He added that he would read film scripts a hundred times over and even memorise his co-stars’ dialogue to prepare. How is Shang-Chi star Simu Liu fighting for Asian representation in US cinema? He is proud of his work With over 150 film credits under his belt, Patel has said that netizens’ outpouring of support for his Marvel role has made him very happy. “It feels so good that I’m getting so much attention after 15 to 16 years,” he told Brut India . Regarding future international projects, Patel said that he is satisfied with his current work. “I kept getting good roles over there [in the West], which were different. The roles were important to the story. I enjoyed it, got respect and good money too,” he said in an interview with Hindustan Times . Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .