Salma Hayek said she wasn't cast in 2 'big comedies' because she's Mexican

• Salma Hayek said that she auditioned for two big comedy movies early on in her career.
• The directors loved her auditions, but told her the studios wouldn't go "for a Mexican as the lead."
• Hayek, who will star in "Eternals," was already a big star in Mexico at the time.

Salma Hayek said she was discriminated against in Hollywood early on in her career because of her heritage.

In an interview with Variety, Hayek recalled how she nailed auditions for two big comedy movies but was snubbed for both roles purely because she's Mexican - despite already being a very big star in her birth country.

"Afterwards the directors told me that I was the best audition and that I was better than who they cast and that they regretted it. But at the time, they knew the studios wouldn't have gone for a Mexican as the lead," Hayek said.

Hayek, who was born in Veracruz, Mexico, said that as she had already found success as a leading actress in Mexico, she was "bringing the Latino market into the theaters" - and Hollywood studios could have taken advantage of that.

"I know some of the studios knew that. But they didn't want to accept the value of the Latino market at the time," Hayek said.

However, Hayek, who was Oscar-nominated for her titular role in the 2002 movie "Frida," said that she hasn't just faced discrimination for being Mexican, she's also faced discrimination for being a woman in the industry.

"If you are a woman and you are in a movie that is very successful and they say you are their favorite character, they will still give all credits of the box office to the guy. They don't count who you're bringing into the theaters," Hayek said.

Diversity in Hollywood has long been criticized by fans who wish to see a broader range of stories told and stars being made, from indie movies to representation at the Oscars.

While there may be a long way to go, we are at least seeing more woman and people of color leading blockbusters, with "Black Widow," "Captain Marvel," "Black Panther," "Mulan," and "Birds of Prey" a few examples.

Hayek will have a starring role in the MCU's upcoming movie "Eternals," too, which also features Angelina Jolie, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Gemma Chan, Ma Dong-seok, and Richard Madden.

54-year-old Hayek spoke about the mysterious superhero movie, which is directed and co-written by "Nomadland" Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao, in her Variety interview.

"It's kind of hard to be an action hero if you're Mexican. It's really hard to be an action hero if you're a Mexican and a woman," Hayek said. "But to be an action hero, being Mexican, a woman, and my age, it felt like they were punking me."