Exclusive! “How to be a Latin Lover” star, Salma Hayek is comfortable, confident…and gray.

By: Izumi Hasegawa   May 2, 2017

There are a handful of reasons why I like Salma Hayek. One,  is she and I are the same height. I know it sounds petty but come talk to me when you are interviewing 6 foot actresses and actors all day. Most importantly is how down to earth, honest, and genuine she is. She oozes confident women and she tells it like it is.  I was honored to sit down with the Hollywood veteran actress exclusively and find out if this is who she always was and if not how she got to this place.

20170401HNW_HowTobeALatinLover_Photocall_01Q: When you look back at all of your accomplishments over the years, what enters your mind?

Well, I feel very lucky. I think I have achieved a lot of things at my age. I think I am very, very, lucky because I found love. You know, I think this is number one, the greatest achievement is that I found a fantastic partner to share my life with that I am still in love with, and that supports me and inspires me to grow. I also think I am so lucky because I was able to have a child. Because I had my child late in my life and it was very possible that I couldn’t and I had my child. Also, he (François-Henri Pinault) had three other children, and I love children. I feel very lucky to have four children, a big family, and that I have a career…still. They told me I was never going to be able to work here, and for sure even for the women who are able to work here that they expire at age thirty. I am excited that I got to live in a time where things changed for the Latin community and we get to work. It’s so different now. When I started there was no possibility. I’m also seeing a change for the women, I think I had a very interesting life and witnessed so many cool things in my life. I’m fifty and I am happy to be fifty and to have learned so many things. Also when you are fifty, my philosophy is that I should feel I should relax. It’s OK if I am not the most beautiful. You know what I am saying? I am fifty, I am other things too; and now people get to see the other things because they are not distracted with the youth and the beauty. I am comfortable, look I let my white hair grow. [showing her gray hair]

IMG_1107_cQ: Oh you have a gray hair. I dye my hair.

I don’t dye [my hair] because I am curious to see how I am going to look with this. I am sure in the next movie they will say sorry you will have to dye it but I am enjoying watching them come in. I don’t have any Botox. Maybe later I will change my mind but for now I am comfortable being fifty. I am comfortable in my own skin.

Q: You play a mom in the movie How To Be A Latin Lover, and you are a mom in real life. How do you compare yourself with your character?

SH ED 1 HTBALL_02911_rgbI was going to say I am not very different in the mother techniques like Sara. I actually do not allow a cell phone because my kid is only nine and for many reasons I think it’s important that they learn to wish for things that they cannot have. It’s important. They have to wish for it for many years until it is the right time. Everybody else in my daughter’s  classroom has a cell phone and I say I don’t care. But I am very encouraging with her to do the things that she likes and am not too strict. But I am with the cell phone. You have to pick a few things to be very strict for and then you have to let them be who they are and let them develop with their space and their curiosity. You have to let them show you who they are and then you have to adjust to who they are, and try to be the best parent for that particular kid. It’s not the same for every kid.

20160621HNW_SeptembersOfShiraz_05Q: What makes you feel the most pride about being Latina?

There is something really beautiful about being Latin and it’s shown in this movie through my character. We don’t give up so easy on our own people. We don’t give up on our family. It doesn’t matter. We learn to forgive. We always open the doors of our houses and we try to be there for them and to support them in the good times and the bad times. We hold this idea of honoring blood very, very, strongly. We don’t dismiss our family very easily. I am proud of that. We respect our elders. I think that in America I see a lot of people when they become inconvenienced they get put away. I believe we have to deal with inconvenience. For some, I think there are different cases. I do feel we have to respect their wisdom and love and honor them and care for them in their old age because they were there for us. Or even if they were not, I think it is a virtue to respect our elders.

How to be a Latin Lover is currently playing in theatres nationwide. For more info visit the film’s official website at, http://tickets.howtobealatinlover.movie/

Interview by Izumi Hasegawa – @HNW_Izumi

Edited by: Jody Taylor – @RealJodyTaylor

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