Meet Eternals star Haaz Sleiman, the ‘gay, Muslim, Arab-American’ actor making Marvel and LGBT history with his role as superhero Phastos’ husband

Oct 28 , 2021

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 18: Haaz Sleiman attends Marvel Studios’ “Eternals” premiere on October 18, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. Rich Fury/Getty Images/AFP
== FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY == — LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 18: Haaz Sleiman attends Marvel Studios’ “Eternals” premiere on October 18, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. Rich Fury/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

Acting alongside Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek, The Little America star and Brian Tyree Henry, who plays Phastos in the film, will portray MCU’s first openly gay couple

Sleiman, who came out in 2017 on Facebook, has an extensive TV career with roles in ER, NCIS, Veronica Mars, The Good Wife and Nikita

As the world gears up to watch Marvel’s highly-anticipated flick Eternals – complete with star-studded cast including A-listers like Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie, as well as a jaw-dropping US$200 million budget – the upcoming film will also see MCU’s first openly gay couple.

Phastos, one of the superhumans, is played by actor Brian Tyree Henry and as seen in the trailer, he is married with a kid. Playing his on-screen husband is the out-and-proud Lebanese-American actor Haaz Sleiman.

Here’s everything you need to know about him …

He had a lonely childhood

Haaz Sleiman says he had a very “solitary” childhood growing up in Lebanon. Photo: @haaz.sleiman/Instagram

The Emirati-born, Lebanese-raised Sleiman told Variety that he had “a very solitary childhood” and felt isolated and disconnected as a gay kid who feared being rejected by his family. The 45-year-old actor ended up migrating to the US at the age of 21. “I thought I couldn’t survive living [in Lebanon] – that I would die if I had to stay there,” he said.

However, over the years, his relationship with his father improved and they reconnected just months before his passing. “My dad actually was telling me over the phone that he accepts me for who I am and he’d stand with me [and] he’d fight for me against any family member – which is something I never dreamed of,” he shared in the same interview.

He has an extensive TV career

Haaz Sleiman in Eternals. Photo: Marvel Entertainment

While Eternals is his first foray into Marvel, Sleiman has already built an extensive portfolio in TV and films. He made his debut in ER (2006) playing an American soldier in Iraq, then took a complete U-turn by playing suspected terrorist Heydar in the hit-series 24 (2007). Since then, he has appeared in NCIS, Veronica Mars, The Good Wife and Nikita.

He was nominated for a Independent Spirit Award for best supporting male for his portrayal of Tarek in The Visitor (2007) and got rave reviews for his portrayal of Jesus in National Geographic’s Killing Jesus (2015).