Salma Hayek’s revenge story takes a brutal turn in Angelina Jolie’s first trailer for Without Blood

Salma Hayek takes on a complex role in the upcoming Angelina Jolie movie, Without Blood. The trailer for the movie, which dives into a story of revenge with a distinct depiction of the brutalities of war, is already out. Angelina Jolie takes the helm of writing and directing the movie.

The storyline takes its inspiration from Alessandro Baricco’s novel. Here are the details of the movie and Salma Hayek’s struggles while taking on the role of Nina.

Without Blood trailer unveils a brutal revenge story

The trailer of Without Blood perfectly captures the brutality and the struggles that Nina came across while growing up through some of the snippets. There is a layer of tension that builds as the trailer unveils Nina, setting the stage with an intense storyline. Besides, Salma Hayek brings life to Nina’s character in the movie, and the very talented Demián Bichir also plays a significant role in Without Blood.

Some of the other cast members of the movie are Juan Minujín, Luis Alberti, Mario Zaragoza, Nika Perrone, etc. The movie is set to release on September 18. It cannot be denied that Salma Hayek has brought life to many layered characters through the years. With projects such as Frida, Wild Wild West, The Roads Not Taken, The Hummingbird Project, Everly, etc.

Salma Hayek attends The Serpentine Summer Party 2026 - VIP Arrivals - Source: Getty

Hayek has proved her versatility and acting prowess. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Hayek opens up about the aspects that were holding her back from accepting this Angelina Jolie movie. She notes that she did not want to “go to the places that she’s been, emotionally”.

Through the storyline of Without Blood, it can be understood that there are significant struggles and brutality that Nina came across while growing up, which propelled her to a path of revenge. Hence, embodying these emotions in Nina’s character was not something that Hayek was eager to do. She notes that Nina’s situation is “too painful," so she did not want to “go suffer for weeks and weeks” for bringing life to Nina’s character in the movie.

Angelina Jolie attends the "Eddington" Red Carpet - The 78th Annual Cannes Film Festival - Source: Getty

A crucial factor that further held her back from accepting the role was the fact that she would have to “be at the edge every single day, every single hour of the day” while “playing this character”. Adding further details of the movie, Salma Hayek notes that there is “not a lot of action happening”; hence, the intense nature of the storyline comes from the emotional battle that the character navigates in the movie.

However, even though Salma Hayek was not eager to take Nina’s role in the movie, Angelina Jolie was able to convince her after they had several “long conversations”. In the interview, Salma Hayek also points out that she was “afraid" to go through the “personal trauma that is completely different” in Without Blood.

Speaking about the struggles that Nina goes through in Without Blood, Hayek notes that women will be able to “identify” some of the trauma depicted in the movie, especially the manner in which men “always” make the “important decisions” of women’s lives and women sometimes have no “choice but to go along with it”. The aspect of being “paralysed by your power taken away from a really young age” can be traumatizing.

Nina’s struggles of going through these situations and eventually “finding the strength out of hate and anger" undoubtedly add to the anticipation of the movie. This movie is the sixth one in which Angelina Jolie takes the helm as a director, and according to Salma Hayek, Jolie is the “best actors director," as she has “never felt so valued”