Salma Hayek heaps praises on Angelina Jolie, calls her ‘best director’

Salma Hayek is praising her pal Angelina Jolie for her directorial skills.

The Eternals stars share a great bond together as the duo spent a lot of time together while working on Without Blood as it's being written, directed, and produced by the mother of six.

Amid this, in the new issue of PEOPLE, the Oscar-nominated Frida actress, 55 calls Jolie, 47, who directed Hayek in the upcoming drama Without Blood, "probably the best director I've ever worked with. And I worked with some pretty good ones."

Indeed, Hayek's résumé is filled with movies directed by some of the best in the business, including Oscar winners Oliver Stone, Steven Soderbergh, and Chloé Zhao, who directed her in Savages, Traffic, and The Eternals, respectively.

Other industry bigwigs Hayek has worked with include Ridley Scott (House of Gucci), Julie Taylor (Frida), and Robert Rodriguez (Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Desperado, and The Faculty).

Continues Hayek of Jolie, "I've always loved her as a director, but I think this might be her best or one of the best."

 Jolie has directed five feature films, including the World War II film Unbroken and the drama By the Sea, which she made with then-husband Brad Pitt in 2015.

Without Blood, which has no release date scheduled, is based on the 2002 novel by Alessandro Barrico. 

"An unforgettable fable set in the aftermath of an unidentified conflict, it explores universal truths about war, trauma, memory, and healing," according to a press release from the movie's production company, Fremantle.