Salma Hayek Pinault Praises “Genius” Angelina Jolie’s Directing Skills In ‘Without Blood’; Talks Empowering Women With New Eva Perón Series

Salma Hayek Pinault is singing her friend Angelina Jolie‘s praises as a writer and director following the conclusion of production on the film Without Blood.

The film, an adaptation of the best-selling novel by Alessandro Baricco of the same name, is the second collaboration between Hayek Pinault and Jolie who recently co-starred in Marvel’s Eternals from director Chloe Zhao. (Hayek Pinault remained mum regarding whether she would be returning for the rumored sequel.)

“We just finished it,” Hayek Pinault told Deadline. “Angelina is the best director I’ve ever worked with. I absolutely loved working with her; enjoyed every second of it. It’s a tough piece but it was so delicious to come to work every single day. She is a genius and I think this might be her best movie yet. She did an amazing job, really.”

She continued, “I was completely blown away by her mind, her dedication, her technical knowledge, and her control of every aspect, as well as her vision which is so clear. She is so good with the actors, so passionate, and so focused. But most of all, I was blown away by her kindness to every single person on the set. I talked about this with my co-star Demián Bichir and we were saying, ‘Wow, she’s really something.’”

Without Blood is a fable set in the aftermath of an unidentified conflict in a farmhouse deep in the Italian countryside. It serves as Jolie’s debut film for Fremantle as part of her recently announced three-year deal.

Always one to support and push forward female-centric stories, Hayek Pinault recently produced the Hulu series Santa Evita about Argentina’s First Lady Eva Perón starring Natalia Oreiro in the titular role. The series, currently available to stream in its entirety, dives into some of the mysteries that followed Perón’s death, based on the novel of the same name from Tomás Eloy Martínez.

Perón, wife of Argentine President Juan Domingo Perón, died in 1952 from cervical cancer at the age of 33. Her body was embalmed following her husband’s orders—though it is unknown whether this was her wish—and remained unburied when her husband was ousted and fled the country.

Her remains eventually ended up in Italy and later Spain before finally resting in the family mausoleum in 1976—24 years later.

“Eva Perón is a super charismatic character and there have been so many [projects] made about her. But Santa Evita is based on a part of Evita’s story that is a mystery which is, following her death, she was embalmed by her husband, and then [her body] disappeared for nearly 20 years,” the Academy Award-nominee shared.

“So Tomás Eloy Martínez writes this thriller and some of it is based on facts, of which there are not that many because it remains a mystery, some are based on things he heard, and some of it is just his imagination,” she continued. “Either way, it tells the story of something that I find very relevant today: the obsession that men can have over women’s bodies. The obsession that men can have to take women who seem unattainable and control them. The story is told in an ingenious and original way.”

Eva Perón, Hayek Pinault emphasizes, “remains powerful even after her death,” which is why the series also explores Perón’s life and contributions.

“We also visit moments where she was so full of life and we see why this woman was so special. She was so ahead of her time, a feminist who accomplished so much in such a short period of time,” Hayek Pinault said. “She’s still alive today. She’s still relevant and people remember her so strongly. I am really proud of this project and I enjoyed watching it, too.”

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