Materialists easter eggs: Celine Song’s secret nods you probably missed

Materialists, the new A24 romantic drama by Celine Song, is currently in theaters and has already sparked discussion, not just for its plot, but for the subtle nods hidden in plain sight. Known for her acclaimed debut Past Lives, Song returns with a sharp look at love, class, and desire in Materialists, starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal.

But while the film explores big themes, it also contains small, deliberate details that link back to Song’s earlier work. If you’ve watched Materialists and thought certain scenes or voices felt familiar, you’re not alone.

There are at least two confirmed Easter eggs in the film that connect to Song’s artistic past—one referencing a play she wrote years before stepping into filmmaking and another involving an actor from her previous film.

Let’s break down the hidden details you might have missed in Materialists and what they reveal about Celine Song’s evolving creative voice.

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The play in Materialists is a real work by Celine Song

In Materialists, Chris Evans plays John, Lucy’s (Dakota Johnson) ex-boyfriend and a struggling actor. In one scene, Lucy attends John’s latest off-Broadway performance with Pedro Pascal’s character, Harry. The play itself is minimal: John sits across from a woman and delivers lines like,

“My mother and father had s*x. I was born. I grew up. I entered this restaurant. I’m on a date.”

The dialogue is fast, blunt, and stripped down.

This scene isn’t just a stylistic choice. The play is real. Titled Tom & Eliza, it was written by Celine Song herself in the mid-2010s and was performed on stage in 2016. At the time, Song was primarily working as a playwright.

The play’s description in the New Play Exchange calls it a story about “two people marching relentlessly toward the future,” and its use of sharp, declarative dialogue is directly mirrored in the movie.

In the movie, a poster featuring Song’s name is visible outside the theater, confirming her authorship. This isn’t just a creative callback—it’s a quiet nod to her roots in theater, woven seamlessly into the story.

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John Magaro’s voice cameo links Materialists to Past Lives

Another Easter egg in the movie ties directly to Song’s first film. In a key subplot, Lucy is trying to find a compatible match for her client Sophie, played by Zoe Winters. She sets Sophie up with a man named Mark, and the morning after their date, Lucy calls him for feedback.

The voice on the other end of the line is actor John Magaro, who played Arthur, the husband of Greta Lee’s character in Past Lives. In Materialists, Magaro never appears onscreen—he’s only heard over the phone. But his presence has weight. Though Mark tells Lucy he had a good time, it’s later revealed that he assaulted Sophie, sending Lucy into a spiral of guilt and self-questioning.

This brief role contrasts sharply with Magaro’s kind, understanding Arthur in Past Lives. Song uses Magaro’s familiar voice here to subvert expectations. For viewers who recognized him, the revelation of Mark’s actions becomes even more jarring.

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A personal connection: Celine Song's time as a matchmaker

Before becoming an Oscar-nominated filmmaker for Past Lives, Celine Song worked briefly as a matchmaker. According to Deadline, she held this role around ten years ago, well before she transitioned into directing. Reflecting on that period, Song said,

“I learned more about people in those six months than in any other part of my life.”

This real-life experience feeds directly into the movie, which centers on Lucy’s job as a high-end matchmaker in New York. Song’s background in matchmaking gave her firsthand exposure to the world she portrays—one where personal relationships intersect with social expectations, money, and ambition.

Though Song noted in the same Deadline interview that she doesn’t consider herself an expert on love, she emphasized its complexity.

She described love as something that “humbles us” and “asks us to be our purist, most simple self.”

These themes—messy love, conflicting values, and personal reckoning—shape the emotional core of Materialists.

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Materialists is now in theaters.