Salma Hayek Pinault Says Angelina Jolie Was 'My Motherly Figure' on theWithout BloodSet (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Salma Hayek Pinault and Angelina Jolie.Photo:James Devaney/GC Images; Samir Hussein/WireImage

James Devaney/GC Images; Samir Hussein/WireImage

Angelina Joliebrought a maternal energy to theWithout Bloodset.

“I’ve worked with great directors that are really focused, but maybe because she’s also an actress… everything that maybe she wished somebody would’ve done for her, she did for us.”

Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek Pinault behind the scenes of “Without Blood”.Stefano C. Montesi

Stefano C. Montesi

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Hayek Pinault and Joliecostarred together in the 2021 Marvel movieEternals. About their dynamics, Hayek Pinault says, “In [Eternals] I was a little bit of a mother figure to her. In this movie, I felt like she was my motherly figure because she would come to the set and run it like a family.”

“She was a very efficient mother, but she was also there emotionally every step of the way,” she adds.

Jolie previously directed films includingIn the Land of Blood and Honey(2011),Unbroken(2014),By the Sea(2015) andFirst They Killed My Father(2017).

Hayek Pinault told PEOPLE back in 2022 thatJolie, 49, is “probably the best directorI’ve ever worked with — and I’ve worked with some pretty good ones.” At the time, she added ofWithout Blood, “I’ve always loved her as a director, but I think this might be her best, or one of the best.”

Angelina Jolie on Aug. 29, 2024.JB Lacroix/FilmMagic

JB Lacroix/FilmMagic

The tale of family, war and revenge chronicles the aftermath of trauma, zeroing in on “a woman [Hayek] who witnessed her family suffer shocking violence and the man [Bichir] who inflicted it,” according to the festival’s description.

“It was a life-changing experience for me making this film,” Hayek tells PEOPLE of the difficult role completed with Jolie. “After so many years, to feel that somebody really listened, really saw me, really created a safe space for me, really embraced me, really admired my talent and let me know… I discovered things about myself as an actress. I was so proud of myself. I was doing things I couldn’t believe I was doing and how easy it was.”

Of her interest in theWithout Blood’s subject matter, Jolie, who also stars in the new filmMaria, recently toldThe Hollywood Reporter, “I’ve spent a lot of time in conflict zones, and I suppose it’s where I have seen the best of humanity and the absolute worst.” She added, “It’s not always about why these horrible things happen. It really is a lot about how people get through them.”

“And the kind of people I love and admire most in the world are the people who keep their grace after all of the harm done to them,” Jolie said. “I think I find those people the most moving, and I admire them.”

source: people.com