Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek have spent years building a friendship that extends far beyond their work together on screen, but Jolie says there is something particularly unusual about the connection they have found in each other.
The actresses first worked together on Marvel’s “Eternals” before their relationship developed into a friendship and another creative partnership. Now, as they promote “Without Blood,” which Jolie directed and Hayek stars in, the pair are revealing just how close they have become.
Speaking with PEOPLE, Jolie reflected on Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek’s friendship and why meeting at this stage of their lives has made their bond especially meaningful.
“I think it’s so nice we met at this later stage in our life,” Jolie said, explaining that despite having different experiences, they have found themselves in a similar place as older women.
For Jolie, that understanding has become something she doesn’t take for granted.
Angelina Jolie Says Her Bond With Hayek Is Different
Jolie said she appreciates the friendship, bond and understanding she shares with Hayek before making an even more personal admission. “I haven’t had that kind of a connection in my life,” she told PEOPLE.
Hayek agreed that finding that level of understanding can be difficult. For her, part of what makes the friendship work is knowing that Jolie understands her and gives her the freedom to be herself.
Their friendship isn’t necessarily quiet, either. Hayek recalled that their conversations while making “Without Blood” could become so passionate that the two would sometimes start “screaming” at each other before the mood completely changed.
The actress described moments in which she would cry, Jolie would hug her and the pair would eventually find themselves laughing together. Hayek clarified that the tears weren’t caused by arguments between them. Instead, their conversations could become emotional because of the subjects they were discussing.
“I can say whatever,” Hayek said of their relationship, explaining that Jolie doesn’t take offense because she understands where her friend is coming from.
Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek Have Grown Closer Over the Years
Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek’s connection didn’t begin with “Without Blood.” The actresses previously starred together in 2021’s “Eternals,” with Jolie playing Thena and Hayek portraying Ajak. Their friendship continued developing away from the Marvel set.
By 2023, Hayek was already publicly discussing how important Jolie had become in her life. She described their friendship as “very, very enriching,” explaining that they connected as mothers and artists and were naturally becoming “closer and closer.”
Their relationship eventually led them back to work together on “Without Blood,” Jolie’s adaptation of Alessandro Baricco’s 2002 novella. Hayek stars opposite Demián Bichir in the film, which follows two people confronting the lasting consequences of violence and trauma decades after an unspecified war.
For Jolie, the movie was particularly personal. She recently told PEOPLE that she began adapting the book during a difficult period in her own life and initially wrote the screenplay as part of her “private healing.”
Having Hayek involved gave Jolie someone she trusted with that material. Hayek, on the other hand, has repeatedly praised her friend’s abilities behind the camera.
The Duo Aren’t Finished Working Together
Their professional relationship appears likely to continue beyond “Without Blood.” Hayek previously revealed that another project could reverse their roles behind the camera, with Hayek directing and Jolie serving as a producer.
The pair’s creative connection was also evident when Jolie recently interviewed Hayek for The Cut. Their conversation moved between acting, directing, motherhood and the experiences that have shaped them as women and artists.
For Jolie, finding someone who understands those different parts of her life appears to be a significant part of what makes the friendship unusual.
And Hayek seems to feel similarly. What started with two major Hollywood stars sharing the screen has developed into a relationship in which they can disagree passionately, become emotional, laugh together and still feel completely understood.
With another collaboration already on the horizon, Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek’s friendship appears to be entering another chapter.
