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Salma Hayek was honored with her very own star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame last week, which comes decades after surviving a knife attack on the very same street.
On Friday, November 19, the Eternals actress was awarded the 2,709th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at TCL Chinese Theatre. The ceremo ny was attended by some of Hayek’s famous friends including director Chloé Zhao, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and comedian Adam Sandler along with a big crowd of fans.
Toward the end of the event, Salma took to the stage to give a hearfelt speech reflecting on her long career in the entertainment industry. She also talked about her traumatizing experience that took place on Hollywood Boulevard many years ago.
“I want to say that I‘m very moved by tonight. It is —of course — a great honor, but also, for me, this night is very healing,” the 55-year-old said. “I’m going to tell you a horror story.”
Hayek went on to reveal that about two years after she arrived in the United States and “unsuccessfully” tried to start her career in Los Angeles, a few of her friends were visiting from Mexico and asked to pay a visit to Hollywood Boulevard.
As her group was walking down the street, a “poor man who was on the floor and was very messed up” called out to her. While she chose to ignore the man, he proceeded to follow their group.
“I kept walking and he took offense. He got up, took a knife out, and started coming after us. Especially after me, trying to stab me,” Salma recalled. “So I ran as fast as I could — nobody helped us.”
She and her friends soon ran into a store, where they jumped over a counter and she grabbed a “stick” for protection. The man then grabbed the stick and they began “wrestling” over the item.
Eventually, two members from Hells Angels intervened and disarmed the man before helping the group to safety.
“Every time I thought about Hollywood Boulevard, this is what I remember,” Hayek said. “The truth is that when I went home that night, I said, ‘What am I doing here? Nobody wants me. I mean, I almost got killed today.’”
She continued: “But I stayed. I stayed. And I want to say to everybody that‘s here, all my lovely fans: If you ask yourself what gave me the courage to stay, I say it was you because although they didn’t know me, here in Hollywood, the studios, all the Latins that are in the United States knew who I was. They understood that I came here with dreams like they did.”
Luckily, Salma Hayek now has a much better experience she can remember the famous boulevard for.