Eternals: Salma Hayek talks joining Marvel and working with Chloe Zhao

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Now that Marvel's Phase Four plans are officially in motion with the airing of WandaVision on Disney+, it's only a matter of time before we see some of our favorite celebrities join the MCU. One film set to introduce an entire team of new heroes to Marvel's superhero landscape is Chloé Zhao's Eternals, which stars Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chan, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Kit Harington, Barry Keoghan, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Lia Mchugh, and Ma Dong-Seok, among others. Recently, Hayek spoke with Variety about starring in the role of Ajax for the film, and how she felt a sense of empowerment while making the film.

When asked about her knowledge of the character before signing on for Marvel's Eternals, Hayek admitted that she had no idea who the character was, but counted herself very lucky for the opportunity.

"Nothing. I didn’t know anything about it. I’m very lucky. I have a Mexican friend and she’s a female, who’s the biggest Marvel geek that you can imagine. My problem was, I was sworn to secrecy because I was one of the first people that they hired, but I had to keep it a secret for a long, long time. So, when I had the call, I said to them, “I confess. Eventually, I will know everything that there is to know, but what are the Eternals? Do they exist in comics? I don’t know who’s Ajax.’” And then they explained everything to me. They explained me the script. They didn’t give me the script. I had to sign the contract without reading the script. They wouldn’t let me see the script until I signed. That was very unsettling."

Hayek then explained that even though it frightened her not to have read the script before signing on the dotted line, she had nothing but confidence in the film's director, Chloé Zhao, whose previous works include films like The Rider, and Nomadland, which is among our favorite films of 2020.

"I was scared. But it doesn’t matter because I’m going to tell you why I didn’t care. I love the director. She’s brilliant. And then I like that [Ajax] is kind of the leader. She’s the only one that can talk to the Celestials. And I said, “I’ll get to be bossy on this one, too. I can play that.” Giving instructions, telling people what to do, I can do that. Then I was afraid of the outfit. I’m claustrophobic. I was very afraid that I was going to feel like I couldn’t move. It has a completely different DNA from the [other Marvel movies]. It’s shot different than all the other ones. It’s in real locations and they found some crazy extraterrestrial-looking locations. I don’t know if I’m allowed to talk about what they do with the camera, but…it’s not mostly done in post. The cinematography is incredible."

Marvel Studios' Eternals features an exciting new team of Super-Heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, an unexpected tragedy forces them out of the shadows to reunite against mankind's most ancient enemy, The Deviants.

The outstanding ensemble cast includes Richard Madden as the all-powerful Ikaris, Gemma Chan as humankind-loving Sersi, Kumail Nanjiani as the cosmic-powered Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as the super-fast Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as the intelligent inventor Phastos, Salma Hayak as the wise and spiritual leader Ajak, Lia McHugh as the eternally young, old-coul Sprite, Don Lee as the powerful Gilgamesh, Barry Keoghan as the aloof longer Druig, and Angelina Jolie as the fierce warrior Thena. Kit Harrington was cast as Dane Whitman.

One can only guess what will force the Eternals to mix it up in the MCU as we know it, and I can't wait to find out. Knowing that Zhao favored real locations for the project also has me very intrigued. More often than not, shooting for Marvel movies takes place on a soundstage, so Zhao's approach could be a welcomed change for the process. Here's hoping that it all comes together as planned and that we can all look forward to something grand when Eternals makes its way into theaters.

For more on Hayek's experience while working on Marvel's Eternals, be sure to check out Variety's full interview here.