Salma Hayek - Brief Article

Interview, Feb, 2001 by Michael Atkinson

NEVER SATISFIED. ALWAYS PUSHING--THE WORLD. AND HERSELF

Upon our first, unforgettable Hollywood look at Salma Hayek--as the maiden amid the crossfire in Robert Rodriguez's Desperado (1995)--we were immediately struck dumb. A smoldering firecracker of physical presence, Hayek has turned out to be more, much more, than just a glamorpuss; she's helped to redefine America's cultural image of Mexican women. She's repeatedly taken on unusual roles in daring films. And now, a bold--as if she was capable of anything less--move into producing with the upcoming Frida Kahlo biopic, in which she will star as her famed countrywoman. But this is no vanity project: Hayek the producer has inked Alfred Molina, Edward Norton, Ashley Judd and Antonio Banderas to co-star, and the hard-charging Julie Taymor to direct.

Hayek's effervescent talent hardly fits the gorgeous-emigre-gets-used-by-Hollywood scenario; succumbing to only one true monster in her journey--Wild Wild West (1999)--she has pioneered her way around the system without once abandoning her identity. Or pandering to it. Rather, she's been searching for ways to expand her options and our consciousness.

Hayek must drive her agent insane, skirting blockbuster roles for projects that answer internal needs. And she does it without a hint of hardness, or cynicism, taking risks that, in her capable hands, never seem to have backfire potential. We may know what jobs are on the horizon, but what truly lies ahead for Hayek is impossible to guess: that's part of the point. All that's certain is that it'll be off the menu.

Michael Atkinson is a film critic for The Village Voice and mrshowbiz.com.