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Salma Hayek was seen on the set of “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” in London Tuesday.
The news was announced earlier this week that Hayek, 55, will star as the female lead in the film after replacing “Westworld” actress Thandiwe Newton in the third film in the “Magic Mike” franchise.
The Hollywood Reporter reported that Newton, 49, stepped down from her role due to personal reasons.
“Thandiwe Newton has made the difficult decision to step away from the production of Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” to deal with family matters,” a spokesperson told the outlet.
Salma Hayek was seen on set of “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” in London Tuesday. (REX/Shutterstock )
Hayek was seen in an all-black outfit paired with gold earrings as she was escorted through the “Magic Mike” set.
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Hayek’s co-lead, Channing Tatum, shared in an interview with Variety in February that “Magic Mike’s” third installment will largely be focused on the female lead, which was partly inspired by the “Magic Mike Live” show.
Tatum’s producing partner, Reid Carolin, also took part in the Variety interview.
“It’s really about a woman stuck at a horrible strip show like a Chippendales and then realizing, ‘What the hell am I doing here?'” Carolin told the outlet. “And then Magic Mike comes down from the ceiling. She gets to go down the rabbit hole and asks, ‘What do I really want?’
Hayek will star alongside Channing Tatum in the third installment of the “Magic Mike” franchise. (David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Magic Mike Live)
“It’s going to have a really strong, almost stronger than Mike, character that’s female. We’ve never done a traditional love story, and this isn’t a traditional love story.” He went as far as calling the upcoming movie “the Super Bowl of stripper movies.”
In November, Tatum took to Instagram to confirm that will be returning to the franchise in his lead role of Mike Lane.
“Well world, looks like Mike Lane’s tapping back in,” he wrote alongside an image of the first page of the script.
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During the month of November, Hayek was also celebrating a career milestone.
Hayek received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She celebrated with husband Francois-Henri Pinault and their daughter Valentina Paloma Pinault, 14. The event was also attended by Hayek’s “Grown Ups” co-star, Adam Sandler, who spoke at the ceremony.
Salma Hayek replaced Thandiwe Newton in the film after she reportedly stepped down due to personal reasons. (Getty Images)
Hayek reflected in her acceptance speech on how far she’s come in her career after experiencing racism and prejudice when she first moved to the United States from Mexico.
“If you ask yourself what gave me the courage to stay, I say it was you,” she said of her fans, “because although they didn’t know me, here in Hollywood, the studios, all the Latins that are in the United States knew who I was. They understood that I came here with dreams like they did.”
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Hayek wrapped up her speech on a hopeful note.
“Find something to love, because the one thing that I stayed for was for the love of cinema,” she mused. “If you think you aren’t good at it like I did, make yourself good at it. It doesn’t have to be the movies. Be your best at everything you do.”
Channing Tatum and the whole show ensemble during the “Magic Mike Live” premiere at Club Theater in January 2020 in Berlin, Germany. (Tristar Media/Getty Images)
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“Try to be better. Try to find the joy in what you do,” Hayek concluded. “Work hard. Prepare. Don’t care what anybody says. But, most importantly, don’t listen to yourself when you bring yourself down.”
“Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” which will premiere on HBO Max, does not have a release date yet.
Fox News’ Julius Young contributed to this report.
Source: www.foxnews.com