Angelina Jolie is "the best director" Salma Hayek has ever worked with.
The “Eternals” co-stars recently collaborated on “Without Blood”, an adaptation of the best-selling novel by Alessandro Baricco, which Jolie directs and Hayek stars in.
Hayek said she was "blown away" by the filmmaker's kindness.
She 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.
"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’."
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“Without Blood” - Jolie's fifth feature film as a director - tells the story of the assassination of a man and his family, during which only his four-year-old daughter, Nina, survives, thanks to an extraordinary act of mercy from one of the attackers.
Years later she sets about trying to track down her family's murderers, and reunites with the man who saved her.
The movie is part of Angelina's new agreement with TV giant Fremantle. Jennifer Mullin, Global CEO at Freemantle, previously said: "We are excited to work with (Jolie) and the incredible international team she has assembled.
"This project underlines Fremantle's ongoing commitment to producing high-quality feature films and original dramas working with the very best talent from across the globe."