Salma Hayek initially rejected the chance to star in Without Blood.
The 59-year-old actress stars alongside Demian Bichir, and Juan Minujin in Without Blood, the Angelina Jolie-directed war drama film based on Alessandro Baricco's book of the same name - but Salma needed to be convinced before committing herself to the project.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Salma shared: "I didn’t want to do the movie. I didn’t want to be Nina.
"I didn’t want to go to the places that she’s been, emotionally. So I told Angie, I don’t want to do this woman. I don’t want to. It’s too painful. It’s taken so many years for me to get to a place in my life where I’m really happy. I don’t want to go suffer for weeks and weeks."
Salma explained that the movie - which tells the story of a years-long revenge mission - is a "very complicated piece for an actor".
The movie star said: "You have to be on the edge of complete breakdown for the entire movie, and never breakdown.
"You have to be at the edge every single day, every single hour of the day while you’re playing this character. And there’s nowhere to hide. There’s not a lot of action happening. If for one second you are not there, it is going to be very clear."
Angelina, 51, ultimately managed to convinced her showbiz pal to change her mind.
The actress said: "I realised that even though this character is in very different circumstance, I was afraid to relive personal trauma that is completely different.
"I think all of us women can identify some of our trauma to it.
"Being tossed aside. Men always making the important decisions in your life and having sometimes no choice but to go along with it. Being paralysed by having your power taken away from a really young age. Having trauma and not knowing how to come out of it … And then finding the strength out of hate and anger.
"So I understood the importance of this character beyond the circumstances of the movie."
Salma also heaped praise on Angelina, describing the Oscar-winning star as an "actors' director".
The actress explained that she's "never felt so valued" on a film set.
Salma said: "This is the best actors' director I’ve ever worked with.
"I’ve never felt so valued. She knew I was the right actress. I didn’t even know I was the right actress at the moment."
