Salma Hayek knows how to keep a royal secret. The Mexican actress, who was personally picked by Meghan Markle to appear on the cover of British Vogue’s September Issue, revealed in a new interview with CNN that she could not talk about the project with anyone, including her husband François-Henri Pinault. “I couldn’t talk about it and I didn’t,” she said. “I felt very honored when we did this photo shoot. No one else knew what it was for. Only me and the photographer, Peter Lindbergh, knew. And all the girls were getting their picture taken for the cover and they didn’t know that Meghan was how they got there.”
Salma Hayek didn't tell her husband or their daughter Valentina about her project with Meghan Markle
The Frida star is one of 15 women the Duchess of Sussex selected for her guest edited "Forces for Change" issue. Recalling when she first learned of the project, Salma admitted that it started with a call from her longtime friend, British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful. "I was in the car and he said, 'Listen, I'm going to put somebody on the phone. Are you in the car with people?' I said, 'Yes.' He told me 'You cannot say the name of the person I'm calling.' Frankly, I thought it was a joke. And we are also very good friends with Naomi Campbell. And I thought, they're pulling my leg or something, you know?" she explained. "I said, 'Oh, she's in London and he's gonna pass me to her. But then it took a while for the other person to get on the phone."
The Duchess called Salma about the "Forces for Change" issue
However it wasn’t Naomi, instead it was none other than the Duchess of Sussex. "She introduced herself and was very kind and loving and easy going," Salma shared. Meghan went on to explain her "project in support of women.” The Grown Ups actress said, "I got excited. I'm thinking and I'm trying to find the logic to this strange day.”
Salma added, "[Meghan] explained her passion for women and what's happening currently. And then she said she's doing this with British Vogue. She said, you know, she was the guest editor of British Vogue, and I'm thinking maybe it's going to be an article on what we're doing, you know, with Kering and women, and she said no, 'I'm [doing a cover], I'm not going to be the cover, I'm putting my favorite women on the cover. And you're definitely one of them. You one of the first ones.' I was like completely shocked. I did not see it coming that way. She started talking about how she's been watching me and why me."
Meghan Markle guest edited British Vogue's September Issue
While the pair have never met before, Salma teased that “maybe” they will now, though she noted, “Maybe it's not something you're gonna see.” The actress, who is an advocate for women, said, "I think we had a connection before we even talked to each other. The shock is that this person had been watching me and I had no idea. It's really beautiful and I really do think that we have a special connection."
Meghan was tapped to guest edit British Vogue’s September Issue, which she worked on for seven months. For the cover of the “Forces for Change” issue, the Duchess picked a diverse group of women “from all walks of life, each driving impact and raising the bar for equality, kindness, justice and open mindedness.” Aside from Salma, Jane Fonda, Laverne Cox,and Yara Shahidi are some of the other famous faces featured on the cover.
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