Veteran actor Salma Hayek initially wasn't enthused when she got the call about her role as Ajak, the leader of the group, in Marvel's upcoming film Eternals.
Hayek recalled that first contact in a recent interview with EW. "I said, 'Forget it.' [laughs] I said, 'God knows what kind of grandmother they want me to play.' I'm used to being [told] I'm going to be the extra or the old prostitute. And then they said the director was Chloé Zhao, and I said, 'Okay! Let's have the meeting!'"
The film will introduce 10 new superheroes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and as a result, Zhao cast a wide net. Along with Hayek, the rest of the cast includes Gemma Chan as Sersi, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lia McHugh as Sprite and Don Lee as Gilgamesh. Hayek has even spoken out before about her initial reticence to join the superhero team, feeling that her age and background limited her ability to play one.
"It never crossed my mind to be in a Marvel movie," Hayek said in a separate interview. "I guess that I thought that boat had sailed, and it was an absolute shock...It’s kind of hard to be an action hero if you’re Mexican. It’s really hard to be an action hero if you’re a Mexican and a woman. But to be an action hero, being Mexican, a woman, and my age, it felt like they were punking me." Ultimately, she gladly took the role and the opportunity to work with Zhao, who is known more for indie films rather than big-budget blockbusters like Marvel releases.
Directed by Chloé Zhao from a screenplay by Matthew and Ryan Firpo, Eternals arrives in theaters Nov. 5.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
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