Salma Hayek & Kumail Nanjiani talk about meeting celebrities and playing superheroes

Salma Hayek and Kumail Nanjiani, stars of the upcoming Marvel film “Eternals,” stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live. The pair discussed a variety of topics, from their first experiences meeting celebrities, to acting as superheroes and what their parents think about it.

© GettyImages

Salma Hayek spoke about the first time she met Stevie Wonder. “I’m a huuge fan,” she said. “I never go up to people but this time I went. And I went across the room and I said, ‘Mr. Stevie Wonder, my name is Salma Hayek.’ I had already done a couple of movies and he said, ‘I know who you are.’ He reached out for my hand and he was going straight for my boobs because he’s blind, he cannot see. And the guy that was with him panicked and said ‘She’s short, she’s short!” said Salma, making everyone laugh.

When asked about how excited people and family were over their roles in the Marvel films, Salma said that her husband was the one who was most excited. “My mom, she’s watching Korean telenovelas now.” she said. “She doesn’t really follow the Marvel Universe.” Still, Salma says that her mother does understand how groundbreaking the role is, particularly since Salma is “Latina, a middle-aged woman and still playing an action hero.”

© GettyImages

Salma also talked about her birthday and how she spent it without her husband and kids since she was working. When asked about a party she had she said, “There was no party. All of those people were crashers.” She explained that over 25 people showed up at her place, unannounced because they didn’t want her to be alone. She talked about the tradition of “mordida,” making the whole audience chant along with her. “This is the power of Salma Hayek,” said Kumail. “She can get them to chant something that they don’t know what it is.”

Salma and Kumail also talked about their relationship, having met before shooting “Eternals.” “He was hot!” she said of his new muscles, which he developed before shooting the film and which have been the subject of much online discussion. And while his new muscles gave him confidence and made him carry himself differently, Salma says that Kumail was still very nervous over a variety of scenes, from a dance scene that appears in the movie to having to ride a horse. “Horses are scary!” Kumail said. “Have you seen their muscles?”

“Eternals” opens in theaters this November 15th, with Salma Hayek playing Ajak and Kumail Nanjiani playing Kingo. They’re part of an ensemble cast rounded out by Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chen, Richard Madden, and more.