Seeing through salma

Big surprises and big things do come in small packages.

Take Salma Hayek, one of the very, very few Latin actresses to make it really big in Hollywood – against all odds.

Barely 5’2" tall, the Mexican charmer proved to the whole world that she could rise way above her sexy image (showcased in such films as From Dusk Till Dawn, Wild Wild West, etc.) by herself producing and starring in Frida for which she was nominated as Best Actress in this year’s Oscars for her portrayal of the Communist and bisexual Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (the same role coveted by other actresses like Madonna and Jennifer Lopez).

After Frida, Salma had her directorial debut in The Maldonado Miracle, which was shown at the Sundance Film Festival early this year. Maldonado is about a young Mexican boy and his transformative effect on a small, impoverished southwestern town.

In her latest movie, Once Upon a Time in Mexico (produced by Columbia Pictures and Dimension Films and released locally by Buena Vista International; still showing in Metro Manila theaters), Salma again goes sexy as she reprises her role as Carolina, wife of Antonio Banderas again as the guitar-playing El Mariachi. Salma first played that role in Desperado, also directed by Robert Rodriguez. Mexico completes Rodriguez’s El Mariachi trilogy.

Like she was in 1999 during our first Conversation (for Wild Wild West, with Will Smith), Salma was as engaging as ever, very animated when she talked, during this second Conversation done in New York for Once Upon a Time in Mexico. She was warm and friendly like most Latin actors/singers, stressing her point with elaborate gestures and speaking in English with a distinct Spanish accent.

But be forewarned. If you think you’ll be reading something about Salma’s love life, think again. She has broken up with Edward Norton (who helped her fulfill her dream of putting the life story of Frida Kahlo on the screen), her boyfriend of four years. We were reminded by the press junket organizers to refrain from asking Salma "anything personal," otherwise she might stop the interview and walk out. Luckily, she did not. (Two weeks after the Conversation, US movie magazines broke the story that Salma is now dating Josh Lucas who appeared as one of Reese Witherspoon’s leading men in Sweet Home Alabama last year and as the villain in the Ang Lee-directed Hulk.)

Which is more exhausting to do, Frida or Once Upon A Time in Mexico?

"Frida was tiring not just physically but also emotionally. But at the same time it was invigorating. I know it’s a contradiction but it sort of happened that way."

Your role in Mexico is much more physical, especially in that scene showing you and Antonio hanging from the window of a hotel and then jumping to the ground.

"Very physical. I was suspended from the hotel window and then Antonio and I jumped onto a bus and then we leaped from the bus as it exploded. It was a hard scene to do. Very hard! We were very careful because the town of San Miguel de Allende (in Mexico) where we shot the movie prohibited us from disturbing the facades of the actual buildings. We were very careful."

Do you always do your own stunts?

"Always, always! In Desperado, I did my own stunts. In this movie, I also did my own stunts."

You have such derring-do.

"I was shooting Frida and they had to wait for me to start work on Mexico. The last week of shooting this movie was stressful. After I did my last scene for Frida, I jumped into the car and rushed to the set of Mexico – and we had to shoot this difficult scene. I tell you, it was a shock! I play a crippled woman and within hours, you know, I had to do this athletic stunt work. That was more difficult for me than doing the emotional scenes in Frida."

Why did you decide to do those life-threatening scenes yourself instead of hire a stuntwoman?

"I didn’t decide... It was Robert who made the decision. When I tried to get out of it, Robert and Antonio teased me, ‘Oh, when we did Desperado, you did your own stunts. What do you think...you are a hot star now and so you won’t do it? Or are you getting too old?’ I told them, ‘No! I can do my own stunts!’ So I did the stunts myself."

Did you get an insurance policy before you did the movie?

"You know, I should have. I know the stunt guy was a little nervous but Robert kept on encouraging me, ‘Oh, she’s indestructible. She’s fine! Anyway, I made her so I can destroy her if I want to.’ He was making jokes like that. I was very surprised that Robert had so much confidence in my physical ability even if I didn’t have as much confidence in myself. Now that it’s over, I think it was fun because I get to show this to my friends."

You love working with Robert.

"Robert’s films are always exciting and funny. The adrenaline rush is always a factor because the films are never easy and always physically challenging. But I love the fact that Robert pushes me; he knows that I won’t back off and that I have fun doing it."

Besides, I read somewhere that you owe Robert (and his wife, Elizabeth Avellan who’s also his manager) a debt of gratitude.

"You’re right. You know, I struggled for four years to make it in Hollywood. Desperado was my big break. For a while, I was so disillusioned that I wanted to go back to Mexico. It was the worst time in my life. I had spent all my money within 10 days because I thought, ‘Okay, I’m going to work non-stop anyway.’ But nobody would hire me. If it hadn’t been for Elizabeth, I would have said goodbye to Hollywood and gone home. She sent me a check with a letter that said, ‘I know you are going to want to give it back, but it’s my gift for myself because I think you are so talented that I would hate to deprive myself of watching your wonderful work on-screen.’ Now you see why I can’t say no to Robert."

What about Antonio?

"Oh, muy simpatico! Antonio has always been good and nice to me. When we were doing Desperado and somebody tried to put me in second place because I was only starting in Hollywood, Antonio came to my defense. He said, ‘No, no, no, no, no! Salma is a star and she shouldn’t be in second place.’ Antonio has always made me feel very special."

Many people thought you would get the Best Actress Oscar for Frida. How did you feel when you did not? (The award went to Nicole Kidman for The Hours.)

"Oh, I was completely fine and very excited just to be nominated. There are some years when there are not so many good parts. But last year, there were so many great performances, many good parts, and I was excited to be a part of that group. The more satisfying part was not really winning the award but to get the movie done. Even if I had gotten an Oscar, it wouldn’t have been as important in my life as doing a movie like Frida. I struggled for eight years to have Frida done."

You act, direct and produce movies. Doesn’t your work get in the way of your personal life?

"No. I have a very balanced life. I get a little bit of everything. I have my priorities very straight."

What’s your inspiration?

"Life itself is my inspiration."

Latin actors (and singers) are now very popular in Hollywood, thanks to you and Antonio (and other Latin talents like Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, etc.) who have paved the way.

"Yes, but I’m sad for other Latin artists who are not given the same chance and breaks. I have a lot of extremely talented Latin friends who are out of job. They tell me, ‘Hello! What about us? We’ve been going to auditions and nothing happens.’ But there’s a lot more opportunities now for Latin actors than before. Often, however, the problem is that they only want to cast Latins as Latins. Yes, typecasting."

Oh, typecasting!

"If there’s a role for a Latino criminal, they’ll look for a Latino actor to play that role. Otherwise, a Latino doesn’t get much chance to play other, non-Latino roles – unless, of course, you were born in America and you don’t have an accent. Then, you can be passed off as not a Latin actor."

You now speak very good English, considering that when you arrived in Hollywood, you hardly spoke English.

"I still have an accent. Don’t you notice? At first, I found it hard to speak English. Even now, when I get very tired, I don’t realize that I’m already speaking Spanish to people who are speaking English."

I also read somewhere that you suffered from dyslexia (just like Tom Cruise and a few other Hollywood stars). It’s amazing how you overcame that disability.

"You know, everything that you grow up with you have to fight against – whether you grow up poor or you grow up privileged – because you have to keep moving so that you keep learning different things. Otherwise, how do you discover life? You’ve got to get out there and discover who you are."

You came from a wealthy family (her Lebanese father constructed and maintained oil fields in Mexico while her Mexican mother was an opera singer). You’re privileged. Did things come easy for you in Mexico because of your pedigree?

"You know, money has nothing to do with it. My parents are very proud of me and they let me know it. They are not just proud of me because of my career but because of my life as a whole. As I’ve said, I lead a balanced life. I work really hard and I’m not afraid to try new things. I don’t go for the obvious. It’s not all about the money. It’s not necessarily that career, the fame. I try things that are difficult, and I throw myself at them. But at the same time I have a peaceful home and good relationships."

Like Thalia (now married to Sony Music big boss Tommy Mottola), you started as a telenovela star in Mexico (she was born and raised in Coatzacoalcos; studied International Relations and Drama in college, also in Mexico). Did that experience help in any way when you got to Hollywood?

"Any kind of experience helps somehow. In Hollywood, people work at a very fast pace and you have to adjust to everybody. If you can get along with everybody, then you’re fine, you’re okay."

How was your childhood like?

"Very happy. My mother was an amazing cook. A lot of my father’s business deals were closed in my mother’s kitchen. I think food was almost stronger than religion in my house. Every Sunday, we would gather at my grandmother’s house and it was almost like a competition to see who could bring the most delicious dish. Even now in my house in L.A., my friends (Penelope Cruz, among them) come to my house and look for food."

But you are religious.

"Oh, yes, I’m a bit religious. We children (a brother and a sister) were raised 100 percent Catholic. I don’t go to church as often as I should but I pray before I go to sleep. Religion helps a lot. What Catholicism does is, well, it organizes things for you. They teach you how your personal life should be. Once your life is organized, you become more spiritual. It makes me happy when I have a good relationship with God."

Okay, how do you feel being called sexy?

"Flattered, of course! Why shouldn’t I be flattered? But if people would consider me beyond just being sexy, I would be not only very flattered but very, very happy."

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