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Salma Hayek is one of the most successful actresses and is respected for her talent in both drama and comedy, but it wasn’t always that way. The Mexican star has been very open about her experiences in Hollywood, like being typecast for years. In a recent interview with GQ UK, the Magic Mike: The Last Dance star opened up about another barrier the industry put up for her - comedies.
Hayek’s career began in Mexico as a telenovela star in 1989. She soon established herself in Hollywood in films such as Desperado (1995) and Dusk till Dawn (1996) but was typecast, with many telling her she wasn’t good enough.
She told GQ UK she couldn’t get into comedies until her 40s, “I wanted to do comedy, and people wouldn’t give me comedies. I couldn’t land a role until I met Adam Sandler,” she said.
Hayek, who recently attended JLo and Marc Anthony’s wedding, starred in Sandler’s hilarious 2010’s film, Grown Ups, “but I was in my forties!” She said. “They said, ‘You’re sexy, so you’re not allowed to have a sense of humor,’” she recalled. “Not only are you not allowed to be smart but you were not allowed to be funny in the ’90s,” the mom continued.
The Mexican beauty earned critical acclaim for the release of Frida (2002) and was nominated for an Academy Award. She thought the types of roles she was offered would change after the nomination, but they didn’t. “I really struggled, and I thought that was going to change, but no,” she said.
Thankfully, things turned around for Hayek, and she’s checked every genre off her list. “I was sad at the time, but now here I am doing every genre, in a time in my life where they told me I would have expired,” the 56-year-old actress said.