Salma Hayek covers the new issue of The Edit (I guess Anna Kendrick was last week’s?!). The editorial is… uninspired. And I’m saying that as someone who genuinely thinks Salma Hayek is one of the most beautiful and photogenic women in the world. The photoshoot is not up to The Edit’s usual standards, let’s just say that. But the interview… the interview is full of interesting quotes, half of which I don’t even believe. Salma tries to convince us that she’s only recently started working out for the first time. She also tries to convince us that she had no idea her now-husband Francois-Henri Pinault was one of the most eligible men in Europe. Yes, it’s going to be that kind of day. You can see the full Edit piece here, and here are some highlights:
She only recently started exercising: “I never exercised my whole life, but now I do yoga. I was always borderline chubby, because I like my food and, frankly, I like my wine. I have to say, I’m pushing 50 but I feel great. I looked worse in my youth! I’m in good shape right now.”
Her career at 48: “This is by far the busiest I have been in my life. The funny thing is that I really don’t even understand how [it all] came about. Maybe because when you don’t want something as much, you’re not desperate…You will see some of the best work of my life this year, because I’ve had the opportunity… If you think about it, I’m limited by the way I talk and by the way I look. I’m 48 years old. Amazing, talented people [stop finding work] at 32, 33 sometimes! Not so much in London, but in the US it’s crazy. Also, for those who have never seen me in person…I’m quite short. I have an overly… wavy body. I’m not like the girl next door who is easy to cast. I don’t fit into any of the stereotypes of a woman that should continue to work. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t think it has anything to do with planning. It has something to do with karma, maybe. I believe in karma.”
She wasn’t a fashionista before she met Pinault: “I wasn’t a fashionista. I was surrounded by fashionistas who made fun of me because I didn’t care. And when I started going out with François, they said, ‘How did you of all people land this guy? You don’t care about fashion.’ And I said, ‘You know what? That was probably refreshing.'”
Her husband is ballsy: “But he is kind, too. He’s not a bully.”
Her tips to a happy marriage: “You’re going to laugh… Find the right guy! That is the key, and it’s so hard because there are so few of them. It’s very important that they support you. They should never make you feel bad or insecure. What’s important in a marriage is generosity, thoughtfulness, thinking of the other person all of the time… Spend quality time together. And don’t forget over the years.”
As many of you pointed out, Salma does seem to have given herself over to the life of a pampered trophy wife, although I do believe she’s probably working pretty consistently these days, so it’s not all hair appointments, shopping and bon-bons. That being said, I think she’s lying about not being a fashionista, not knowing that Pinault was a major catch and not exercising until recently. But why is she lying about that stuff?
In an interesting aside, she was asked about diversity in the Oscars and she listed several prominent Mexican filmmakers working today, all of them acclaimed and Oscar-nominated. She sounds genuinely proud of their work, but I found it interesting that for Salma, the question of “diversity” is answered by listing Latin-American filmmakers, not any diversity in other minorities. That’s not a slam on Salma at all, I’m just pointing out that directors like Alfonso Cuaron, Alejandro Inarritu and more have been having a really good run.
Photos courtesy of WENN, The Edit.
well, she was asked about diversity and answered it with examples of people from the minority that she (quite obviously and proudly) belongs to. Would we be asking the same question about a black actor who mentioned the success of black directors in Hollywood and not Asian/Hispanic, when talking about diversity?
also correct me if I am wrong since I didn’t read at the source, but none of the text quoted here implies that she was unaware of who her husband was when she met him, only that she wasn’t a ‘fashion’ person and not into fashion at all. Which seems accurate enough, looking at old pics of her. Also, I don’t think she has given up entirely to trophy wife status , she has something like 5 movies coming out in 2015-16 including voice work and she is producing one of them I think.
+1
She didn’t say anything about being unaware, she just say that she wasn’t into it.
Yes, I don’t see the “didn’t know who he was” line in there either but also didn’t read the source. It’s interesting her take on minorities with respect to her listing Hispanic directors. I guess we tend to think about our own background first and foremost. If you’re black, you see that perspective, hispanic, that view, etc. Perhaps it’s not so much that people don’t care and aren’t hiring for racist reasons – more that we see the world by what we reflect back in the mirror? Not that we don’t need to work on our awareness of looking outside ourselves and our “tribe”, but I like to think that it’s not racism – that maybe it’s just not thinking about the reallity others face?
PS She’s still gorgeous.
I wouldn’t say the repeated refusal to even cast more diversely or honour the work of minority fillmakers is “not racism” – look at the a**hole Oscar voter in the Hollywood Reporter who was offended by the Selma cast wearing ‘I can’t Breathe’ tshirts because that was ‘stirring sh-t up’ but fawned all over American Sniper claiming he/she could separate the movie from its politics.
But when it comes to people in Hollywood who have been made acutely aware of their race (as is the case with most people of colour in this business), it makes sense that their point of reference when asked about issues pertaining to diversity, would start with their own experience and people who might share it. Salma has spoken in the past of being told she was only fit for ‘maid’ roles because she was Mexican and had an accent, it makes sense that, when pointing to examples of more diversity within the industry, she would look at how her compatriots did first.
She’s fantastic.
Re: diversity and only mentioning Latinos. Almost all the time diversity is mentioned is whites vs. Blacks. E.g. this year’s Oscars, etc.
Exactly. I, for one, am glad to see names like Alfonso Cuaron (the only director to make Harry Potter films not feel like Home Alone with spells) and Alejandro getting more mainstream recognition, even if it’s not for their amazing work in Spanish-language films.
I’ve noticed that.
Couldn’t be the breast implants adding the weight? Noo that’d be stretching the truth now Salma
Who cares? It’s her decision and her business.
Sure, but she’s A) in the public eye and talking about it so it’s not just her business and B) talking about curves when they’re all silicon is disingenuous
I’m pretty sure she was stacked even without silicone if there is indeed any in her. She’s no Iggy Azalea.
Yes, and her body is very natural. It’s an authentically “curvy” figure.
Er, how did she land a guy like him? He seems a bit skeevey and like he’d date a 20 year old if she was hot.
like many rich men, he likes to date hot women, but tends to 30something more than 20something – his last relationship before Salma was Linda Evangelista.
So yeah, he looks skeevy but at least he’s into grown women who aren’t barely out of their teens (and Evangelista was hardly the pliant type).
If she is chubby it’s in all the right places!
I don’t think she’s lying, because if that’s her husband in the photo then I agree with her – HE is a CATCH?!? dafuq
But major eyeroll at “borderline chubby”, PLEASE GURL, SIT DOWN. If anyone needs reminding, just go watch that clip of her dancing half-naked with a snake in From Dusk Till Dawn, from 1996.
I actually think she PUT ON WEIGHT for that role…for some reason that little bit of movie trivia has stuck in my head after all these years.
Yes, she’s said before how she gained weight for FDTD. Quentin wanted her voluptuous so she had a pasta diet to get extra curves.
In Hollywood she would be considered chubby. The only genuinely approved curves in Hollywood are large breast. If you have butt and hips you’re thought of as large. This was especially true when Salma was first starting out in Hollywood, now a bit more meat is allowed but not much. Even Christina Ricci talked about how she lost a ton of weight and had her breasts reduced to make herself look more like the actress ideal to get roles.
One word: Billionaire.
This.
Is it really diversity when Cuaron, Inarritu, and Del Toro are all Latinos of European descent? They’re just white guys that speak Spanish, how is that really different than your typical Hollywood director?
That’s unfair. They’re Hispanic men, not white men. It doesn’t matter what the skin tone is; they’re still Hispanic.
Isn’t Inarritu part Japanese? [or, japanese-mexican] Not sure where i heard that…maybe totally off though.
They’re culturally Hispanic (and maybe that’s an ethnic designation too), but if they are of European descent (from Spain, maybe?) doesn’t that mean they could be considered racially white? I’m not sure what else they’re descended from (i.e if they’re mixed), but European descent makes me think of a racially white person.
I’m not saying they aren’t Hispanic. Hispanic is not a race. These guys are white Hispanic. Meaning their race is white but they were raised in a Latino culture.
People from Spain are white. they might be culturally Latino, but they are racially white, no?
If they’re from Spain then yes, they’re white because that makes them European. They might be under the umbrella of “Hispanic” and “Latin” but they’re still white Europeans and in no way do they represent “Hispanic” people who are brown (of mixed Spanish and Native American heritage) or people who are black (of mixed Spanish/Native American/African heritage). Sorry but other than the fact that the Spanish enslaved and raped the natives of the Americas and various Africans there is nothing else in common. Spaniards don’t represent us people of color.
Ignore Salma in this post.
These men are Latinos! So Latinos can’t be White, why? So only Brown skin is accepted as Latino in your racist mind? Seriously?
I’m from Brazil but living in NJ for many years. I am White and Latina. White skin, brown eyes, brown hair and Italian surname. Ancestors came from the Latin European countries. I label myself as White in anywhere where is required since Latina is not exactly a race or an ethnic group of people.
Gisele Bundchen who is also from Brazil is completely German ethnically already said to be a Latina in interviews in US.
Of course you will find Brazilians who do not want to be labeled as Latinos because they don’t accept the label Latino for whatever reasons.
I’m not saying Latinos can’t be white. Latino isn’t a race; one can be black, white, Asian, Native or any combination of these groups and be considered Latino. I’m pointing out that they are still white guys just of Latino cultural descent. So their race is white just like the majority of directors in Hollywood. Maybe they represent cultural diversity , but they don’t represent racial diversity in Hollywood.
Also, I thought some Brazilians didn’t care to be called Latinos because people automatically associate Latino with Spanish speaking and since Brazilians speak Portuguese, it got annoying when people just assumed they were Spanish speakers and insist in speaking to them in Spanish.
Cass, have a seat honey. Literally nobody said Hispanics/Latinos can’t be white. In fact, they acknowledged that these men are both white and Hispanic.
What they did say was that this particular lineup of Hispanic men doesn’t represent diversity because they are in fact all European and white; none are Hispanic men of color.
Actually, Brazilians aren’t really considered Latinos although they should be. These days Latinos are commonly assumed to be people descended from Spanish language countries, even though the designation should apply to all people descended from countries that speak a language derived from LATIN…including Italy, France, Romania, Portugal and of course Spain. Brazilians, if they are to be labeled anything at all other than South American, would be Luisitanian.
And although a large percentage of Hispanics/Latinos are of European descent, discrimination still exists ESPECIALLY IN HOLLYWOOD due to the non-anglo last names and non-nordic/anglo-saxon/celtic complexions.
Actually, the term “Latin” (referring to people from North, Central and South America and parts of the Caribbean) was given by the French centuries ago when they were conquering parts of the “New World”. It had nothing to do with the people (they did not speak Latin nor descended from Europe – they were indigenous peoples), but rather because the French saw their imperialism in the New World as akin to the imperialism of the former Roman empire (in which everyone did speak Latin). At this point in history, Latin was a long-dead language but in a bit of puffery – because the French saw their conquering as being as great at the Roman empire’s, they began referring to these new conquered lands in the Americas as “Latin America” – from that we get Latinos and Latinas. Centuries later, it’s became a rather generic term to describe Spanish-speaking people who don’t necessarily originate from these former French colonies.
C’MON, all those you mentioned are totally Mexican. Guillrmo del Toro is fair haired and all that, but that trait is very common in Jalisco, his state.
If you wanna call diversity in Mexico you would have to be ver specific and point out an specific native group that a person belongs to, since the majority of us are all mixed, we all have Spanish descent and native blood, we know most of us are mestizos, that’s it.
It is kind of rare to find a person that can claim that is “pure” European.
Probably Iñarritu is second or third gen. Mexican if his family came with the latter Basque – Spanish immigrations in the last centuries, but they are not called “white” Mexicans here, I bet my dog, they are common, regular Mexicans.
.
What happens is that in some states the density of the natives was much higher, there are more people who looks darker and are in many cases short or with certain features (not all native ethnicities look the same).
I find funny that there is a differentiation between Mexicans and “Mexicans of color”. I work in education and we for certain never say that we have Mexican students “of color” even if we have a girl from Veracruz who may look dark Afro-Mexican, I actually thought about it when I saw her because I have been to the US and I have been asked about my nationality, and the people who asked me were dumbfounded when I told them I was Mexican (I do not look like the stereotype), like if failed them or something when I said what I was. BTW, there are fair and dark students in schools and there is no differentiation, what young people look at is , sadly more of a money-class thing, those are their standards.
Lovely people in the US, I met great great open people, but at the same time that race is a pride thing, it can be used against you. that was a weird experience.
Omg you’re right, they are all Mexican (go figure since Salma mentioned them). I read somewhere before that Del Toro was Spanish, weird. Honestly since these directors were involved in the Hollywood scene I felt it was safe to assume that they were Spanish, seeing as Hollywood loves to cast Spanish actors in any Hispanic role rather than cast any person who is Latin American and especially actors who clearly look non-white.
Examples would be: Penelope Cruz as the Mexican rancher’s daughter in All The Pretty Horses, Antonio Banderas as a Mexican in Zoro (pretty sure he plays Pancho Villa too), Penelope Cruz in Blow as a Colombian, Paz Vega as the Mexican maid in Spanglish where instead of just hiring a Mexican actress they trained Vega to speak a Mexican dialect instead of a Castilian one.
Added on to that are all the white actors who get the Hispanic roles: Al Pacino in Scarface as a Cuban (he also plays a Puerto Rican drug kingpin in a movie whose title I can’t remember), Ashley Judd as a Mexican in Frida, basically the whole cast of Once Upon a Time in Mexico lol.
Why doesn’t Hollywood cast real Mexican, Cuban, Colombian, etc. actors? Simple: they don’t want to.
Her interviews are always so insufferable. I guess my head would be in the clouds too though if I was her.
She lost me at “borderline chubby”. Really, Salma?
I hope she’s right. Alas, I’m still searching for the “right” guy 🙂
If only those directors we’re making movies with diverse casts.
Ironically I think she looked better on the red carpet before married Pinault. Don’t hate her or like her. She looks happy enough
Here is the reality check, Salma. You were dating him and he knocked up Linda Evangelista when you were on a ‘break’. You then reconciled with him on the condition he would have a kid with you. OF COURSE you knew he was a billionaire – its hard to miss the fact that he was passed around all the supermodels and actresses looking for the massive payday.
Agreed you scored for the win, but lets not be all aw, gee-shucks about it.
Linda was already pregnant or had given birth when Salma met him. Look at the timeline. Augustine was born in october 2006. She (Salma) was confirming her pregnancy in early 2007: http://www.celebitchy.com/3309/yes_salma_hayek_is_pregnant_and_shes_also_engaged/
When Pinault broke with Salma, after the birth of Valentina, he was canoodling with a horsewoman close to his age, not knocking up Linda.
I actually caught her in Everly recently and it was not as horrible as I thought it was gonna be it was kinda bada$$!
I loved Everly! It’s a lot of fun!
Her husband is a gremlin. There is no possible reason for her marrying him other than for his money and status. Also, what about her bestie Penelope Cruz? Is it possible both women have beards and children but are truly each other’s lifelong lovers? I kind of like this angle. Of course women can be friends and that’s all, but it’s totally possible that they have a “forbidden” love still not sanctioned by Hollywood and America. Why should Penelope have publicly allied herself to that weirdo Tom Cruise except for the publicity and beard potential? I never could believe Tom and Penelope were actually a romantic couple.
Money and beauty/handsomeness are not the sole reasons why people fall in love or marry.
She said it herself, she likes his personality and he makes her laugh ( it is much better to marry a nice manly billionaire than a nasty one, lest’s say a Hilton or an Onassis).
why don’t women want to admit they worked for what they have? does it seem even more superior to try to say ‘I got these great things in life and I’m not even trying?’
Is it like trying too hard takes away from what you’re doing? Gisele tried to say she doesn’t work out, then tons of pictures of her leaving the gym come out-
I agree with her, she is borderline chubby. There’s nothing wrong with that, some people are small boned and fleshy. It can actually be quite sexy to be small and yet soft. I think that we need to get back to what the word chubby actually means, chubby does not mean fat.
There is nothing wrong with her husband. I respect that fact that he seems to date women who are near to his age and have strong personalities. It indicates that he must be a person of some taste and intelligence.