Salma Hayek was a well-known name in the Mexican industry before she transitioned to Hollywood. She played the role of Teresa Chavero Martínez in the Mexican telenovela, Teresa. The Frida actress got her breakthrough role in Hollywood with the Robert Rodriguez-directed film, Desperado. Hayek was paired opposite Antonio Banderas, who replaced Mexican actor Carlos Gallardo in the lead role of El Mariachi in the second film of the Mexican trilogy.
Following Desperado, Hayek got more opportunities in Hollywood, although she was often cast for her s*x appeal. However, the Wild Wild West actress’s breakout didn’t come so easily as she had to face the problematic casting choices in Hollywood at that time.
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Salma Hayek Faced Discrimination In Landing The Role Of A Mexican Lead
Salma Hayek in Desperado
Desperado director Robert Rodriguez noticed Salma Hayek in her 1992 Univision talk show with Paul Rodriguez. Rodriguez appreciated Hayek’s desire to become a high-profile Latinx actress in Hollywood. When the director planned an English language sequel for El Mariachi with Antonio Banderas, he was quick to remember the Grown Ups actress.
However, Columbia Pictures, the production house for the film, was not interested in casting the Mexican actress in a Mexican role. Since the director insisted, the studio forced Hayek to audition for the role. They were actually eyeing Cameron Diaz for the lead role. Diaz was a big name in the industry at the time with her successful role in The Mask. She was also a white blonde actress who fit the biased beauty standards of the studios back then.
Salma Hayek opened up about the discrimination she faced in a 2020 interview with Elle magazine. The Hitman’s Bodyguard actress told Elle:
“I remember Cameron Diaz was huge at the time and her last name was Diaz, so they said she can be Mexican. She was part of the list, and I had to audition again. […] I’m telling you, the studio wanted Cameron Diaz as a Mexican.”
The studio justified Cameron Diaz’s choice with her surname, even though her father’s family was from Cuba, not Mexico. The incident points toward the state of the industry at those times. Although things are changing around in Hollywood, actors, especially those from marginalized communities, still feel like there’s a long road ahead.
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Salma Hayek Had To Beg For An Audition Chance For Another Latino Role
Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek further shed light on the discriminatory practices prevalent in the ‘90s in Hollywood. The House of Gucci actress revealed that she was rejected from a role without even auditioning just because she was a Latino. The role in question was a Latino woman in the film The House of the Spirits. Hayek shared with Elle:
“Still, it was better a few years before that, when they were doing The House of the Spirits. I begged for an audition. They wouldn’t even give me an audition. I was like, ‘Just hear me read.’ And this is for a Latino role. They were not hiring Latinos for Latino roles. They were not hiring Latinos period—unless it was the maid or the prostitute. And that part was not a maid or a prostitute.”
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Compared to this situation, Hayek found the Desperado audition a considerable improvement in the attitude of the industry. The Eternals actress definitely fought her way upward in Hollywood. For the fans of the actress, Hayek’s career-launching movie, Desperado, is now available for streaming on Peacock and Prime Video.
Source: Elle
