Salma Hayek, that Lebanese descendant who loves Lebanon as much as our nation loves her, is back in the spotlight and her Lebanese fans are as excited with the news of her joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her coming role? Ajak, The Mother of All Eternals!
The recent presentation of Marvel Studio’s Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con was full of exciting revelations for the Lebanese and Mexican fans of Salma Hayek.
Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) announced its new movie The Eternals for 2020, and officially unveiled the participating actors. Hayek will be playing a leading role, a gender-swapped version of Ajak, the leader of the Eternals.
@salmahayekWith the names of the actors confirmed, Hayek didn’t fail to express her feelings and excitement on social media. The actress said, to both English and Spanish speakers: “I’m so excited to join the Marvel family as Ajak, the Mother of all Eternals. It used to be the father of all Eternals, but girls… this is OUR time!!!!”
The Eternals is based on the comic of the same name and tells the story of a species that are an evolutionary offshoot of humanity living on Earth and possess greater powers and longer lifespans. As per the story, a group of space gods named the Celestials created them to defend Earth. The movie will be released on November 6th, 2020 in the United States.
This is not the first time we hear Hayek’s name in major successful movies. She is best known for her outstanding performance as the famous Mexican painter Frida Kahlo in the 2002’s movie Frida. Her more recent films were Grown Ups and Grown Ups 2.
Alongside with some of her own production works, Hayek produced The Prophet, an exceptional work of animated film, which draws on the 1923 book by Gebran Khalil Gebran. That work of hers brought her to visit Lebanon in 2015 with her father who originates from Baabdat in Mount-Lebanon.
The Prophet animated movie tells the story of a headstrong girl, Almitra, who befriends an imprisoned poet named Mustafa. Hayek played the voice of Almitra’s mother, Kamila.
Salma Hayek’s first major film was Desperado in 1995, alongside Antonio Banderas. From there, she was in Dusk Till Dawn with A-list celebrities, including George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino.
Her role in Frida was her breakthrough. It earned a great recognition in Hollywood, making her one of the four Latinas that have been nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards.
Salma Hayek was born in Mexico. Her father is a Lebanese-Mexican, from the city of Baabdat, which Salma and her father also visited in 2015 to promote her movie The Prophet.
During that visit, Salma told Annahar: “Up till the very last minute before I went on the plane, I was still scared that my trip would be interrupted or delayed. The moment I reached Lebanon, it was magical. I have always pictured my visit to Lebanon to be magnificent, but the reality of it was even more spectacular. The people waiting for me at the airport and the way I was welcomed home both made me love Lebanon even more.”
