Summary Collider's Perri Nemiroff talks with Naomi Scott for Eternal Return at TIFF 2025. Scott captures a tender, childlike wonder in the romantic fantasy, showcasing a completely different performance from her acclaimed scream queen role in Smile 2. In this interview, Scott discusses learning harp for the role, other skills she'd like to master, discovering director Yaniv Raz's tone for the film, producing, and reflects on Smile 2.
For Naomi Scott, the world premiere of Eternal Return has been a long time coming. When this visually inventive and intoxicating romantic drama was filmed, Scott had not shown the world that she was a capable scream queen as Skye Riley in Smile 2. Smile 2 was shot and released in theaters as Eternal Return awaited its release, and the actress calls that transition "bloody whiplash." Horror fans might be shocked to see Scott give such a tender and heartfelt performance in this sweeping fantasy story by writer-director Yaniv Raz, but her range, as evident on the screen, shows no bounds. Playing opposite Scott, who perfectly straddles the line between wonder and anguish in a winning performance, is Game of Thrones' Kit Harington, playing against type as an awkward but well-meaning man of maps.
Eternal Return follows Cass (Scott) and her disillusioned romantic interests after the tragic death of her partner. Her heart opens up again upon meeting Virgil (Harrington) and his wise old friend, Malcolm (Simon Callow), who have been developing a way to map places and memories and then carve through time and space, allowing anyone to re-enter a moment from their past. The film will certainly draw comparisons to other fantastical romantic dramas, like About Time and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but Raz's portrait of spiritual longing and heartbreaking regret is a singular achievement.
Scott, who is also a producer on the film, premiered Eternal Return at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, where she stopped by Collider's Media Studio at the Cinema Center and spoke with Perri Nemiroff about her new film that presents a radically different side to her unseen in Smile 2. Raz hoped to "visualize the magic of childhood wonder through the lens of adult emotion," a paradox that Scott captures seamlessly in the film. Still, the tonal intricacies were a challenge. "You don't always feel like you have a handle on it," Scott said of her experience portraying Raz's distinct emotional wavelength.
Of capturing that intended childlike wonder and whimsy, Scott continues:
"It's tricky. Actually, sometimes I was like, 'Am I picturing this right?' You don't always feel like you have a handle on it. I'm sure there were days where I was like, 'What am I doing?' You don't always feel so sure. But I guess that's the trust of the people around you. I think, specifically with this dialogue, I was trying to figure out a way where it's slightly left of reality. It's not naturalistic. But I do think there are movies of old and performances that have that, and so I guess I was probably trying to have some connective tissue to those things in my mind."
Check out the full conversation in the video above, with a time index below where Scott discusses Eternal Return, developing new skills to portray on screen, balancing multiple tones, and Scott's Oscar snub for her performance in Smile 2.
00:40 - What is Eternal Return about? 01:19 - What was it about Eternal Return that appealed most to Scott? 02:21 - Scott discusses going from Smile 2 to a romantic fantasy. 02:55 - Scott on learning how to play the harp for Eternal Return. 04:21 - What skills would Scott like to learn for a role in a movie? 06:43 - How did Eternal Return transform from the page to what we see on-screen? 09:01 - Finding creative opportunities through the limitations of independent filmmaking. 10:36 - How did Scott capture childhood innocence through a mature emotional lens? 13:31 - What was something a producer did that helped Scott as an actor in the past? 16:19 - Scott comments on her Smile 2 performance. 17:35 - Naomi Scott plays Passing Notes!
Eternal Return has not set an official U.S. release date yet. Check out the full conversation in the video at the top of this article, and stay tuned to Collider for more from TIFF 2025!
Special thanks to the partners Roxstar Entertainment and its Campari Cinema Center and Campari, who featured their signature festival red-carpet drinks, including the Campari Negroni and Campari Spritz. Also host venue, Discreta Toronto, and Oscar-winning visual effects (VFX) company, Rodeo FX, as well as Lavazza Coffee, Vellamo mineral water, Santa Carolina's Reserva Chilean Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon wines, La Vieille Ferme Rosé and La Vieille Ferme Reserve Brut Sparkling, Peroni beer, and food catering by Miss Ivy Toronto @Cinemactr
4 10 Eternal Return Like Follow Followed Romance Sci-Fi Release Date March 19, 2026 Runtime 115 Minutes Director Yaniv Raz Writers Yaniv Raz Producers Moby, Michael Reuter, Charles D. King, Margot Hand, Naomi Scott, David Gilbery, Poppy Hanks, Naomi George, Jillian Apfelbaum, Tristen Tuckfield Cast See All Kit Harington Virgil Naomi Scott Cass
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