Channing Tatum's return to the Magic Mike franchise introduces some new people, and here is who Salma Hayek plays in Magic Mike's Last Dance. The third entry in the franchise brings Mike Lane back into action years after he performed the show of his life in Magic Mike XXL. While Magic Mike 3 does reunite Tatum's dancer with director Steven Soderbergh and a few of his older friends, the film continues the franchise's trend of giving Mike a new love interest.
The plot of Magic Mike's Last Dance picks up with Mike once again down on his luck and looking for cash. His dancing days are far behind him, resulting in him taking on a bartender job in Florida. Mike's life changes again when a customer approaches him with an offer that he cannot refuse that involves traveling to London and earning $60K to do a single job. This is how Magic Mike's Last Dance gets Channing Tatum back into the action, and Salma Hayek's character plays a pivotal role in where the story goes from there.
Salma Hayek Plays Maxandra, Mike’s Love Interest
The biggest new addition to the cast, Maxandra is who Salma Hayek plays in Magic Mike 3. She is a former actor who never got her big break who left this career behind to marry a wealthy media mogul. Maxandra has a teenage daughter named Zadie and plays the part of Mike's love interest in Magic Mike's Last Dance. It puts Salma Hayek in the position of being the film's main female lead, following Cody Horn's Brooke from Magic Mike and Amber Heard's Zoe from Magic Mike XXL. Hayek did not replace Amber Heard in the film, though.
Maxandra becomes part of Mike's life when they meet at a fundraising event he works as a bartender at her home. The two connect and sparks fly as Maxandra offers to pay for sex with Mike, but he counters with one of his signature dances. After the memorable performance leads to a night together, she offers him a chance to go to London with her and direct a show at the Rattigan, Maxandra's ex-husband's old playhouse. While they become business partners in this new venture, Salma Hayek's Magic Mike 3 character also maintains her spot as Mike's main love interest.
Salma Hayek Replaced Thandiwe Newton In Magic Mike 3, Not Amber Heard
There were never any plans to bring Amber Heard's Zoe back for Magic Mike's Last Dance, but the role of Mike's love interest was not originally meant for Salma Hayek. The production initially courted Thandiwe Newton to Magic Mike 3's cast and be the female lead. Newton was meant to play Maxandre before she exited the project. Salma Hayek replaced Thandiwe Newton after the Westworld star left the production to deal with a private family matter.
So, who Salma Hayek plays in Magic Mike 3 is more so her replacing Newton, not Amber Heard. Despite Magic Mike XXL's ending leaving Mike and Zoe in a good place, there were never any reports that Heard was meant to return. She would not fit with the Magic Mike's Last Dance story that Soderbergh came up with, while her ongoing trial with Johnny Depp at the time might have also factored into the decision to leave Zoe out and bring Salma Hayek's Maxandra in.
