June 16 (UPI) — Salma Hayek says she was “shocked” to land her role in the new film Eternals.
The 54-year-old actress discussed playing Ajak in the upcoming Marvel movie during Tuesday’s episode of The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.
Ajak is a Marvel Comics character who is the leader of the Eternals, a race of long-lived humans with superpowers, in the new film.
When asked if she felt prepared for the part due to her past roles in action films, Hayek said she was surprised by her casting.
“I was shocked. Can you imagine? You get a superhero character in your fifties? Mexican. Woman. In your fifties? I couldn’t believe it,” she said.
Hayek then shared her “most exciting moment” from filming the movie.
“It was very unexpected, because there are superhero moments, but the coolest one was galloping in a meadow with a horse. And that’s when I thought to myself, ‘Not only I’m doing a Marvel superhero movie, but I’m doing, like, a really different, cool one,'” she said.
Eternals is directed by Chloé Zhao and co-stars Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Kit Harington and Angelina Jolie.
Marvel released a first teaser trailer for the film in May that gives a brief backstory on the Eternals.
Eternals opens in theaters Nov. 5.
On The Tonight Show, Hayek also played The Whisper Challenge, a game where she and host Jimmy Fallon took turns wearing headphones with loud music playing and tried to guess what the other was saying.
Hayek stars in the new film The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard with Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson. The action comedy opened in theaters Wednesday.