Hollywood’s one of the renowned directors, Quentin Tarantino, is known for his unique storytelling and sharp dialogue. He co-wrote and starred in one of his best works, From Dusk Till Dawn, featuring Salma Hayek as Santanico Pandemonium. The crime thriller follows two brothers as they seek refuge in a bar that turns out to be infested with vampires. One of the film’s most iconic moments was Salma Hayek’s unforgettable snake dance scene, which became a defining moment in her career but didn’t come off easily. While Tarantino is known for often pushing the limits when it comes to guiding the actors, he pushed the actress’s limits for this particular scene.
At the time of From Dusk Till Dawn, Hayek was not a well-known actress and was struggling to pay her rent, but she couldn’t lose the opportunity to star in the movie. While filming the snake scene, Tarantino revealed to Hayek that she would have to dance with a snake wrapped around her shoulders. Well, that would definitely scare anyone. Hayek immediately said no to the director as snakes are her worst phobias. However, Tarantino didn’t back down.
In a throwback interview with E! News, the Eternals star revealed how the director threatened her that if she didn’t do the snake scene, Madonna would be interested in playing the role and hinted at her replacement. Since Salma Hayek was low on income, she did the scene bravely. Hayek revealed, “Quentin [Tarantino] told me, ‘Oh, by the way, you’re dancing with a snake.’ I said, ‘I can’t do that, I can’t do that. It’s my greatest fear’. Frankly, I really needed to pay the rent.”
She continued explaining how she started brainwashing herself by thinking positively about the snakes. Hayek said, “In some culture, the snake represented—I started doing research—your inner power. And my whole thing that I brainwashed myself into doing this was about dancing with my own inner power.”
Eventually, Salma Hayek did the scene, and the movie became one of Tarantino’s classic hits.
