Salma Hayek Shares the Movie That Changed Her Life and Career
Salma Hayek reached a major career milestone in 2002 when she played the legendary painter Frida Kahlo in the biopic Frida. This powerful performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, making her the first Mexican artist to ever compete in that category.
While she went on to star in huge action films like Once Upon a Time in Mexico, the spark that lit her passion for acting actually started much earlier during her childhood in Veracruz.
In the book You Gotta See This, Hayek opened up about the one movie that truly changed her life: the 1971 classic Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. She shared a funny one that means so much to her, explaining that as a young girl, she was mesmerized by the idea of finding a golden ticket.
She sat in the theater convinced that she could actually enter a world where anything and everything was possible. The film, which starred Gene Wilder as the famous chocolatier, taught Hayek that reality is whatever you choose to make of it.
She realized that in the world of movies, a river didn’t have to be water; it could be delicious, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate. This realization was a revelation for her, as she understood that she didn’t actually need a physical golden ticket to find that magic.
According to Hayek, the most important lesson she learned from the film was the power of her own imagination. It was the first time she understood that through her mind, she could reinvent her own reality and create whatever life she wanted.
This was a massive idea for a young girl in Mexico to grasp, and it gave her the confidence to pursue a career that many might have thought was out of reach. She recalls walking out of the cinema that day with the absolute belief that she could do anything because Willy Wonka proved you could do it.
It didn’t matter what career she eventually chose; the movie had convinced her that the impossible was just a matter of perspective. It is a testament to the power of film that a story about a chocolate factory could inspire one of the most influential actresses in modern Hollywood.
As of February, Salma Hayek has been keeping quite a busy schedule while also embracing her role as a fashion icon. She recently made waves at the Balenciaga show during Paris Fashion Week and was featured on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, where she spoke about the freedom of embracing life to the fullest, regardless of age.
On the professional front, she recently starred in the war drama Without Blood, which was directed by her close friend Angelina Jolie. Looking ahead, Hayek is set to appear in the highly anticipated action-comedy Sacrifice, which premiered at festivals late last year and is expected to hit theaters soon.
Do you think Salma Hayek’s shift toward more producing and darker dramatic roles lately shows that she is finally moving away from her “action star” roots for good? Share your thoughts in the comments.