Angelina Jolie And Salma Hayek Are Set To Reunite Outside The MCU
Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek became close while filming Eternals, but what's next for the friends?
Less than a year after Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek made their Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debut together in the film Eternals, the two A-listers are getting ready to team up once more. This time, however, Jolie won’t be wielding a sword.
Instead, the Oscar winner is, once again, returning to the director’s chair with the upcoming film Without Blood. The project also marks the first time that Jolie is directing again since her divorce from Brad Pitt (the last film she directed, First They Killed My Father was released in the same year that she filed for divorce).
Salma Hayek And Angelina Jolie Became Close While Working On Marvel’s Eternals
Since starring together on Eternals, Jolie and Hayek have become quite good friends. The co-stars were even spotted hanging out together in between takes in the past. At the same time, Hayek has also spoken about how she came to realize that they were “kindred spirits in so many ways.”
“We really felt connected. She shares my sense of humor, which I would have never imagined. She actually laughs at my stupid jokes, and she gets them,” Hayek said. “So, it can be very intense, or very funny, or just very warm.” The actress also called Jolie a fantastic mother who has now become her “go-to person for advice because she loves children and her relationship with her children is beautiful, and her children are amazing.”
Hayek also shared that she and Jolie bonded over being moms while on set. “There’s the aspect of the mom that is good with the kids and the mom that understands then that motherhood is a cult. You know we have to help each other, we have to talk to each other,” she explained.
“And then it was like a joy to work with, and we have some of the same interests, and then we met at a time in our lives where we just want two things: meaningfulness, like relationships and friendships that are meaningful … and joy. We just want joy.”
As for Jolie, she believes it’s Hayek’s warmth that drew her to her co-star. “Salma in this film is the leader, and a healer, and a mother … I could tell as soon as she walked into the room she just carried this warmth and she just takes care of everybody in the room, that’s who she is. And that takes a lot out of you. It takes a lot of strength and it takes such a very empathetic human being,” the Oscar winner explained.
“So I think she also saw me and I don’t socialize very much, and I can kind of be a bit heavy, not unlike my character. And she has this warmth of, ‘It’s going to be OK.’ And there’s a scene in the film, which is, that’s very us, and I think bonded us.”
Angelina Jolie Has Already Started Production On ‘Without Blood’
Production for Jolie’s latest film has been underway in Rome. Both Jolie and Hayek had been spotted on set while working on the movie. In between filming, the two actresses were also spotted going around Rome together, along with Jolie’s children.=
Jolie’s latest directing project is based on a novel written by best-selling Italian writer Alessandro Baricco. In a statement, the actress praised the book for its “unique poetry and emotion and way of looking at war, and the questions it poses about what we search for after trauma or loss or injustice.” Aside from Hayek, the film also stars Demián Bichir who most recently starred in the sci-fi action Godzilla vs. Kong.
Jolie’s Without Blood is part of a three-year agreement that the actress/filmmaker recently struck with Fremantle. Under the agreement, she is also expected to produce a “sophisticated, powerful, and internationally focused slate of feature films, documentaries, and original series in which she will produce, direct, and/or star – based on each individual project.”
The deal also covers several local language projects that would also support local writers and directors. “Fremantle and Angelina share the passion and ambition of telling compelling stories from everywhere in the world, for everyone in the world,” Jennifer Mullin, the Global CEO of Freemantle, has said in a statement. “We embrace and support the creative independence of our partners and look forward to working with Angelina to bring powerful and unique stories to a global audience.” More titles will also be announced as part of this agreement soon.
On the other hand, Jolie has also expressed interest in doing more Marvel movies, so there’s a chance that she’ll soon have an onscreen reunion with Hayek who signed on for multiple Marvel films. The veteran actress even has some ideas for her character already. “I think it’s fun thinking of where they’ve been over the years. We’ve got thousands of years worth of material,” Jolie explained. “We can take her anywhere. I think that’s fun and I like the idea that we can pop up somewhere, maybe in other Marvel movies.”
