Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek is a Mexican-American film actress, producer, and former model. She began her career in Mexico starring in the telenovela Teresa and starred in the film El Callejón de los Milagrosfor which she was nominated for an Ariel Award. In 1991 Hayek moved to Hollywood and came to prominence with roles in movies such as Desperado, Dogma, and Wild Wild West...
NationalityMexican
ProfessionMovie Actress
Date of Birth2 September 1966
CityCoatzacoalcos, Mexico
CountryMexico
I also have a film coming up called Breaking Up, and my part in that was not written for a Latina, and my character is not particularly pretty or sexy or exotic.
I am so, so lucky. I am the luckiest girl in the world, really. And still with access to everything I could possibly want I still say 'Oh dear, what am I going to wear today?' There's no ending to that question!
I grew up in Mexico, not the U.S., and the fact is that there just aren't any parts for Latin actresses. I have to persuade people that my accent won't be a problem, but an asset.
I have one friend that I've had since I was born, and she's from Coatzacoalcos. She's not really impressed or interested in the actor's life. My family isn't really either.
Being a mother is more exhausting than working, and sometimes I push myself too hard and burn myself out. I can appreciate how exhausting it must be for women who have to do everything themselves all the time.
I work hard, I make my own living and I love it. I like having financial independence.
Art and activism seem to go together naturally, the idea being that if you're an entertainer, you can have a voice, and if you have a voice, you can make a difference. But if I were not an actress, I would still try to extend myself beyond my little micro-universe of my job, family and personal joy.
I think that a lot of women that know they're going to be part of history somehow decide to have a character to be remembered by.
I have a ranch, which is my favorite place in the world.
If it wasn't because of my high heels, I would still be in Coatzacoalcos with 10 children.
I don't want to be size zero and I'm glad I'm not.
There has never been a female director who has won an Oscar. There has only been one woman who won at the Cannes Film Festival.
I don't have stamina in exercise... but I have it in life.
When I feel stressed, I turn to food for comfort, but I don't like to diet and I'm not good at it.