Salma Hayek, who entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the franchise's newest entrant, The Eternals, has shared that she broke into tears when she wore her superhero costume for the first time. In a recent interview with a Spanish publication, the Frida-actor can be seen shedding tears while recalling her experience.
Hayek, who plays Ajak, the Head Eternal in Charge, in the Chloe Zhao directorial, said in the interview, "When I put it on, I burst into tears. Not like in telenovelas, but the tears came out and I said, 'What happened here?'"
Hayek is the latest Latino actor to join the MCU after Zoe Saldana and Tessa Thompson.
During the said interview, she added, "The image of it did something to me and I said, 'Why?', I saw my brown face, I saw my brown face in a superhero suit. And in seeing my face, I saw your face. I saw my face as a little girl, who had to have a lot of courage to dream big."
Speaking of what her casting meant to her, she added, "I saw the face of all the little girls, and I realized that a door had opened where I didn't enter alone, but inside that suit were all the Latinos who waited so long for this moment."
The Eternals, which met with mixed critical reception, is receiving praise for its themes of diversity. The film's cast includes Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Kit Harington, and Angelina Jolie to name a few.