Since stepping onto the acting scene in the late ’80s, Salma Hayek has portrayed so many memorable characters in films of all genres. The multitalented star landed her big break in the 1995 film Desperado, sharing the screen with Antonio Banderas. Since then, she has undergone an incredible transformation in Hollywood.
Salma was born and raised in Mexico and knew from a very early age that she wanted to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. She recounted the story of landing one of her first acting gigs in a February 2018 interview with W Magazine.
“The very first thing I ever auditioned for was the role of Jasmine in a children’s play of Aladdin in Mexico,” the brunette beauty recalled. “I was 18. I had to sing, and I have stage fright. It was a horrible experience — I got the job, but the work was a nightmare. I really suffered every day.”
She has come a long way since that role, going on to star in 1996’s From Dusk Till Dawn, 1999’s Wild Wild West and Dogma that same year. In 2002, Salma portrayed Frida Kahlo in the biopic Frida, earning her both Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. In an April 2015 essay written for Marie Claire, the Emmy winner explained why she wanted to take on a role that was different than anything she had ever done before.
“I was excited to play artist Frida Kahlo, who wasn’t considered beautiful,” she wrote. “She had a unibrow and a little bit of a mustache, but she had the courage to be unique. I think that if you’re confident, some kind of beauty always comes through.
Through all of her fantastic career achievements, Salma has had the support of her husband, François–Henri Pinault. The couple got married in Paris on Valentine’s Day in 2009. Two years before walking down the aisle, their daughter, Valentina, was born.
“We support each other in everything we do,” the Grown Ups actress shared with Closer about her husband in February 2017. “We don’t have a strong social life because we really like to spend time together.”
Keep scrolling to see Salma’s transformation through photos from then and now.
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