They might've been largely useless throughout Earth's history, but Eternals at least helped Salma Hayek overcome a long-standing fear. Directed by Chloé Zhao, Eternals is unique among Marvel's litany of cinematic releases. The narrative stretches across 7000 years of history, the ensemble is packed with actors you wouldn't necessarily expect in a superhero movie, and – most unusual of all – critical reaction from MCU fans was… mixed. More than any other Marvel movie, Eternals also explores themes of family, and how those bonds can transcend time, purpose, and even morality.
The matriarch at the head of the Eternals family is Salma Hayek's Ajak. The group's Celestial-appointed leader, Ajak is the only Eternal capable of communing directly with Arishem when Eternals begins. She's also the healer of the group, mending her family's (many) battle wounds with cosmic energy. After the Eternals go their separate ways during the Aztec era, Ajak retreats to South Dakota, living humbly on an isolated ranch and enjoying the rural delights of her surrounding grassland. During this time, Ajak's affinity for humanity continues to grow… and her doubts about the Emergence along with it.
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Eternals' modern day timeline shows Salma Hayek's Ajak riding a horse on her ranch – but filming this scene wasn't as straightforward as it looks onscreen. Speaking on the Disney+ Marvel Studios Assembled: Eternals behind-the-scenes documentary, Hayek reveals how she suffered a serious fear of riding horses, tracing all the way back to an incident from childhood. Having carried this phobia throughout her entire career, Hayek joined Eternals knowing she'd face a challenge when those equestrian scenes came along. Given the impressive digital feats Marvel has achieved (maybe not Pip the Troll…), digitally plopping Salma Hayek onto a horse probably wouldn't have been beyond Eternals' visual artists, but the actress pushed on regardless and overcame her fear. In Hayek's own words:
"I had an accident with a horse many, many years ago. So, I didn’t get on horses. And I freed myself from my past, from my fear. And I was able to just gallop with the horse and feel… But I wanted to do it. And I think it even helped me with the character. For the character, it was a freeing experience for me."
Salma Hayek mentions how overcoming her fear of riding horses for Eternals helped bring Ajak to life more authentically. The Eternals' leader perhaps didn't have an aversion to four-legged farm animals, but Ajak does begin her MCU journey beholden to the Celestials' genocidal circle of life. She then challenges those ingrained beliefs to appreciate the value of human existence. The "freeing experience" Salma Hayek felt upon shedding her phobia of horses speaks to how Ajak breaks free of the Celestials' conditioning. Both the character and her actress faced fear (of giant godlike aliens and ranch animals, respectively), and emerged closer to their true selves, stronger for taking the hard path. The way Salma Hayek experienced the thrill of riding a horse for the first time in her adult years might've also made Ajak's appreciation of life on Earth just a little bit more of a genuine performance.
Eternals is a movie of two distinct halves. On one hand, there's the CGI-heavy magic-athon where Ikaris does his best Superman impression, and a not-so-jolly green giant emerges from the sea to crack Earth like an egg. But all that MCU madness is underpinned by Eternals' intimate family scenes, drenched in Chloé Zhao's trademark landscapes, and energized by the cast's magnetic chemistry. These moments are visually more earthy than Eternals, and help temper liberal use of CGI elsewhere in the movie. The authenticity provided by Salma Hayek really riding a horse contributes to that grounding tone – and makes overcoming a fear held for decades all the more worthwhile.
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