Salma Hayek Is as Anxious for Eternals to Come Out as You Are

In one universe, Marvel’s Eternals came out this past November. In another universe, it’s coming out next week. In our universe, it’s currently scheduled for this November. And if you’re annoyed and frustrated by all that, imagine what it’s like to be part of it.

Of course, the delay of Eternals (and seemingly ever other movie imaginable) is no one’s fault. The spread of covid-19 is the culprit and, eventually, all of these movies will come out. But for actress Salma Hayek, whose new movie Bliss is out this week, the journey to the Marvel Cinematic Universe starts way before that.

“Oh God, it’s bizarre,” Hayek told io9 when asked about waiting for the film. “You know, I was one of the first people they cast…They cast me months before they announced it. And you cannot tell anybody. You have to wait. You’re terrified to speak if it leaks and everybody else leaked. I didn’t leak! I was the secret!”

Hayek found keeping the secret especially hard because she feels her role, as the leader of the Eternals Ajak, is a landmark.

“It was so hard,” she said. “Just also to be in a Marvel movie that is super diverse and to be 54 for playing a superhero. I’m a 54 year old Mexican playing a superhero and an Eternal. Then finally they announce it. We do it. Now, I cannot not wait for it…then corona comes. I have to wait another year. You [usually] have to wait for them to do all their special effects, it takes a long time for them to do [that], but now it’s got two years. It’s tested my patience. But what are you going to do?”

Hayek also had nothing but great things to say about Chloé Zhao, the director of Eternals who was just nominated for a Golden Globe (and will probably be Oscar-nominated) for her film Nomadland.

“[Chloé] is extraordinary. She is the real thing,” Hayek said. “Very little green screen, real locations. The way she works with the camera, this is going to feel and look different than everything you’ve ever seen in the Marvel Universe. Without losing the DNA. But oh my God, she was another delicious creature that I was so lucky to encounter in my life. I love her and I think we’re going to work again. We work really well together.”

Does that mean Eternals 2? Nomadland 2? We don’t know. Maybe! But in the meantime, Hayek is in another sci-fi film this week: Bliss, co-starring Owen Wilson. It’ll be on Amazon Friday. Eternals is currently scheduled for release on November 5.

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