Salma Hayek recalls how she almost blew some Eternals spoilers way back in 2019. Eternals, which is the third film in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will arrive in theaters on November 5, 2021. The film will introduce audiences to a group of immortal beings who have guided humanity for thousands of years and protected them from the monstrous creatures known as Deviants. The film stars Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kit Harington, Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Dong-seok Ma, Lia McHugh, and Lauren Ridloff.
In Eternals, Salma Hayek plays a gender-swapped version of the character Ajak, who possess the power of flight, super strength, and the ability to manipulate molecules with her mind. Ajak is the conduit through which the Eternals can communicate with the Celestials, who created them as well as the Deviants during their experiments on early humanity. In this film, Ajak is also presented as the leader of the group due to this connection.
Related: The Celestials: How Powerful Are The MCU's Space Gods
On The Graham Norton Show, Salma Hayek explained the dangers of openly discussing a Marvel project. She said she was sitting alone with director Chloé Zhao backstage at Comic-Con 2019, the year Marvel revealed their plans for Phase 4. Hayek was trying to loudly ask Zhao questions about the script, but she was shushed because the director was worried people might be pressing their ears against the wall to listen for spoilers. Hayek was shocked that this was something that people actually do. Check out her full quote below:
I remember talking to the director for the first time in a hotel where they do that – oh my god – like, in San Diego where all the strange people dress like Halloween when it’s not Halloween, are there for that convention… Comic-Con!
The whole thing was completely surreal. I’m talking to her and you know, I’m Mexican, I talk loud. I lost my voice from the interviews, but you should- you know I’m loud. And I start asking her questions and she’s like “Shhhhhh…”
And I’m like “What?”
“They can hear us! And the script is secret!"
And I’m like, “But there’s no one here.”
“Next door! You have to be very careful. Everybody knows that we’re talking about the new Marvel movie. They could be hearing on the walls.”
And she was serious! Because they really- they actually do it! So it was really weird. But I love it now, I feel at home!
Eternals has already been subject to a lot of spoiler speculation from every direction. In one instance early on in the production, fans seized on a behind-the-scenes image of Downton Abbey star Dan Stevens hanging out with the cast. The casting announcement still hasn't been officially confirmed, though the star heavily hinted he would be playing the lead Deviant Kro.
While Salma Hayek has been a big star since the mid-'90s, Eternals is her first experience on a blockbuster franchise project at the level of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There are fans on the hunt for spoilers any way they can find them, and Marvel stars are trained to expertly dodge questions posed by interviewers to avoid plot details. However, it must be an extreme culture shock to step into that world as a new cast member. Given the way she talks about Comic-Con, Hayek isn't particularly up on nerd culture, so she likely had no idea what a pressure cooker that particular aspect of the job was going to be.
Next: Black Widow & Eternals Have The Same MCU Formula Problem
Source: The Graham Norton Show
