“I believe that you could steal this role”: Ryan Reynolds’ Team Had to Convince Salma Hayek for Accepting a Two and Half Minutes Role
Salma Hayek and Ryan Reynolds have had quite a history. Their on-screen chemistry and off-screen friendship have made their bond more robust with time. The duo is one of the top celebrities in the Hollywood industry who are also a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Their talent has earned them the spot they hold today however there was a time when the talented actress was pitched to do a two and half minutes role in a film.
The duo has worked in a few of the films together which is how their bond of friendship was developed more off-the-screen. They were also a part of the 2017 film, The Hitman’s Bodyguard where the actress had a very short screen time. Film director Patrick Hughes shared more about how she ended up being a part of the film series.
The Hitman’s Bodyguard Director Patrick Hughes Shared About Salma Hayek’s Short Screen Time in The Film
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The 56-year-old actress, Salma Hayek played the wife of Samuel L. Jackson’s character in the movie who was also a con artist. The Mexican-born actress was in the first installment for a short while however her short time on the screen was more than enough for her to charm the audience through her acting. She is known for catching the attention of everyone on her on-screen which is why film director Patrick Hughes pitched the role to her in the first place.
In an interview with ComingSoon while promoting the second installment of the movie, Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, he opened up about pitching the role to Hayek.
“She was in like three scenes, and she was on screen for two and a half minutes, but I pitched it to Salma, which is like, “I know you’re a big movie star and I know what I’m asking you to do is two and a half minutes of screen time, but I believe that you could steal this role if you make it your own.”
To no one’s surprise, the actress nailed the role by really “lit it up.” Her magnificent performance in the first part was what seeded the idea for the next installment.
Salma Hayek Completed The Family Dynamic in The Film
The film director elsewhere went on to open up about the “crazy energy” Hayek brought through her character in the film.
“That just felt like a family dynamic, and then to move into the sequel it’s like, we’ve got to get Salma in the mix here and put her front and center because she completes that family dynamic.”
He continued to share the outlet,
“Well, let’s, let’s bring her crazy energy to the fray” adding, “we had the disapproving father figure. We’ve got the crazy mother, and we’ve got Ryan playing the man-child with validation issues. So that dynamic alone is crazy.”
The trio, Hayek, Jackson, and Ryan Reynolds reprised their roles in Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard which was released in 2021. Unlike the first film, the second one received generally negative reviews from critics.
Source: Comicbook
