Salma Hayek is all praises for the diverse cast of Marvel’s ‘Eternals’

Hollywood star Salma Hayek is all praises about Chloe Zhao's selection of a diverse cast for Marvel’s upcoming film Eternals.

Chatting with Variety, Zhao spoke about ageism in Hollywood and how she consciously made the decision of choosing Hayek to lead the Eternals cast.

“Ageism in Hollywood is a very concerning issue that we must stand against as artists. Aging is a beautiful part of life that should be celebrated. It’s really an honor for us to have Salma to lead the ‘Eternals’ family,” said Zhao.

“I can’t take all the credits. When [executive producer] Nate Moore first showed me the treatment, which he worked on with [writers] Kaz Firpo and Ryan Firpo, I was impressed with the age diversity of the characters they put together, and it was a big part of what got me really excited about ‘Eternals’,” she added.

Touching upon her emotional experience of stepping into character, Hayek said: “I am claustrophobic. I was terrified of the costume. I was terrified. Because if I cannot move and it’s kind of thick… I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m not going to be able to breathe. It’s going to drive me crazy.’”

“And I went to put it on, I found myself profoundly moved. It was a very strange experience because I didn’t expect it. I forgot about how does it fit? Am I going to get a claustrophobic attack? All I could see was, ‘Oh my God, here’s a Mexican female in this outfit and this is really happening. And yes, we get to be superheroes,’” she said.

The Oscar winning-director chimed in, saying: “I think we all gasped. She looked so strong and beautiful.”

Zhao has bagged immense praise for building an all-inclusive cast for the upcoming superhero flick.

Cast of Eternals includes, Kumail Nanjiani, Angelina Jollie, Brian Tyree Henry, Gemma Chan, Harish Patel, Barry Keoghan, Mia Dong-seok, Richard Madden and Kit Harrington.

“I think a lot of people are going to feel seen and that’s important and that’s what matters,” said Hayek about the film.

“It’s not diverse for the sake of being diverse. It’s the way she chose every single one of us that really creates a family for the purpose of the Eternals. For the purpose of the film. It doesn’t feel forced,” she added.