Salma Hayek Reveals Ajak’s Role Among Eternals

Marvel fans are only a few weeks away from finally getting to see Eternals in theaters, which will feature a whole new cast of characters. There are many huge stars on the Eternals line-up, including Salma Hayek. Recently, Hayek has been doing a lot of press for the film and sharing information about her character, Ajak, who has the power of healing. Back in January of 2020, ComicBook.com paid a visit to the Eternals set, and Hayek shared more about her character’s role among the group of heroes. 

“So, Ajak is in charge to supervise them, bring them over. I’m trying to go around not saying she’s the boss. She’s the leader,” Hayek explained. “I decide what I tell, when I tell them, because I’m the only one that can talk to the Celestials … See what I’m looking at is the human characteristics, how I see them and stuff, you know? I know that Kingo [Kumail Nanjiani] is the most vain of them all and the attention seeker. I see them like my kids. It’s my own way of finding them, and I talked to this with Chloe [Zhao]. He’s my attention seeker, okay? Then, Thena [Angelina Jolie] is the mysterious, and you never know what’s going to come out in her, you know? Because she is the strongest, and in some ways the most fragile and that’s the beauty in her. This is where I watch out for her.”

Hayek continued, “Then Ikaris [Richard Madden] is the perfectionist. He has everything perfect. He’s very, almost like the obsessive-compulsive one of the family. Gilgamesh [Don Lee] is the one with the good heart. The kindest one with a good heart. You know my Sprite [Lia McHugh] has an attitude, and she’s sarcastic and kind of like a little bit of a smart ass sometimes. Is that correct to say? Druig [Barry Keoghan] is the dark one that is always overthinking everything, that asks a hundred questions. Makkari [Lauren Ridloff] is the one that has to know everything. Has to know all the facts … Phastos [Brian Tyree Henry] is my gig. He might have to limit the technology time because if I don’t pull him out of that, he can just stay there until he dies. So you see, I am describing them to you in a very familiar way you look at your own children, and that’s how I see them.” 

Hayek added, “It’s also very exciting at 53 to get that random call. I just got a movie from Marvel. Like, now? They’re just offering you a superhero. Are you kidding me? Is this a joke? A Mexican woman in her 50s, you just got a superhero character in the Marvel movie, not the grandma. Actually, it was me who wanted to have that approach of leadership, that it was more of a family. So we could be more of a family, it could be more maternal.”

She concluded, “The thing of the mother was interesting because it allows me to have a specific perspective of observation. It’s a specific human way of seeing all the people in this. There’s a level of love of caring or empathy. There’s a level of trying to hold, not just the mission, but the family that is doing this mission, which is different. I have a different relationship with each one of them like you do with your kids and you can differentiate, oh, this one is going to be the one that is going to have trouble with this. Oh my God. I am terrified when this girl turns 14, you know? She’s going to be dating at 13. So you already know your kids that way.”

Marvel’s Eternals is set to be released on November 5th only in theaters.