Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek talk about their reasons for joining Marvel’s cast Eternals. Angelina Jolie plays Thena, while Hayek plays Ajak, two members of the Eternal originals, created by The Celestials to protect and guide humanity on Earth. Created by Jack Kirby in 1976, the Eternals have been a part of the Marvel universe ever since and are now making their first live-action debut on the big screen.
Jolie has been a mainstay in Hollywood for decades, starring in hits like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Girl, Interrupted, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Wanted and malefic, among others. Hayek arrived on the scene with Desperado and From Dusk Till Dawn by Robert Rodríguez, moving on to projects such as Traffic, Fridaand Savages. Both actresses have become household names, creating a diverse resume of projects in their names from all manner of genres, be it action, drama, comedy, science fiction, etc. Now, actresses are making their way into the superhero genre for the first time.
Talking with Screen Rant for the junket of Eternals, both Jolie and Hayek talked about how they came to join the family Eternals. Jolie has tackled larger-than-life characters before, especially in the video game adaptation of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and said it was “Good to fight again” by Eternals. The actress went on to say that she had been approached for superhero roles in the past, but it wasn’t until Thena was offered it that she really considered it, saying the role made her want to be a part of a bigger picture.
And Thena… It was really this family I wanted to be a part of. When I understood what this movie was going to be and who this group was, what this group would represent and how inclusive and diverse it was, I felt like that’s what it should always have been. It is what I wanted to be, and to discover that my part in it was secondary; figuring out who it would be. But I just wanted to be with this family. And I trust this director.
For Hayek, who has never been offered a superhero role before, Eternals and his Ajak character felt like “The right one” and “in the right moment”. Hayek praised director Chloé Zhao and highlighted the family «eclectic»He created with the film, saying: I love the director. I think it is very significant that it is in this moment, that I can be in my 50s and be a superhero, and be Mexican-Arab and be a superhero, and be part of this eclectic family. When Hayek joined the film, only Jolie had signed on at the time, which got the actress excited. “Because my highest expectations about Angie, about the director, about our little family that we created, about the movie itself, is one of those rare times where you keep surprising yourself in a good way, and it just keeps growing.”
“For example, we couldn’t go out when we wanted to, because the world practically fell apart with a virus. However, everything has been hectic in this movie. There is nothing that is simply normal. It’s all incredible.
Hayek recently starred in The Hitman’s Bodyguard’s Wife with Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson and has a role in Ridley Scott’s upcoming biopic House of Gucci. Jolie’s last acting job was in Those Who Wish Me Dead by Taylor Sheridan, which debuted in theaters and on HBO Max last May. Jolie has also made a name for herself as a director, having made several films, including Unbroken 2014 and the biographical drama of 2017 First They Killed My Father para Netflix.
Both Jolie and Hayek have proven their worth in every other genre they’ve worked on and it will surely be the same as Marvel superheroes. They bring strong experience and familiarity to Eternals, giving you an estimate that is usually not immediately given when stars are untested. For Jolie and Hayek, it’s a matter of bringing their experience and knowledge to the MCU, rather than trying to demonstrate their strengths to be in it, which is refreshing. The MCU has brought in revered actors for many of its projects in the past, from Robert Redford to Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tony Leung and beyond, making their universe a place for new and established talent to flourish. No doubt Jolie and Hayek will do just that with Eternals.
