Salma Hayek

Nov 11, 2004

Salma Hayek = one of the most beautiful women on Earth

I was very pleased to find that not only is Salma what I wrote above but she is also highly intelligent and even though she struggles with her English sometimes she is very articulate. Certainly more articulate than homegrown Americans like Marisa Tomei and Abel Ferrara.

Though she’s been in straightforward comedies like Kevin Smith’s Dogma and the romantic comedy Fools Rush In, After the Sunset is the first time she has ever mixed her beauty and comedic skills perfectly. When we spoke I asked her about watching a movie and she started to talk about how she analyzes the technical side of a movie. I remembered that this is a multi-talented woman because she stars in one or two movies a year but then in 2003 she directed the film, The Maldonado Miracle.

After the Sunset begins where most action capers end - with master thieves Max and Lola [Pierce Brosnan and Salma Hayek] escaping to a tropical paradise to enjoy the spoils of their labor. The thieves are content to settle into their new life after crime, until their nemesis from the FBI [Woody Harrelson] tracks them down, convinced that their "retirement" is actually a cover for their true intentions of pulling off a million-dollar heist on a nearby "diamond cruise." The allure of the alleged scheme captures Max and Lola’s attention and sets off a cat and mouse game of friendship, suspicion and thievery.

Check out the website for After the Sunset

Daniel Robert Epstein: Pierce Brosnan and Woody Harrelson were in bed together in one scene in this movie. Did you watch that scene get filmed?

Salma Hayek: It was the first day of shooting and I had that day off but I did spy on them. I was very nervous about the tone of the movie. When I walked in and saw them it was so funny. So I just relaxed and realized we were going to be alright. If a movie has three or four scenes that are memorable then that is ok. So on the first day I stopped worrying. I’m a warrior and if it wasn’t funny I would be upset.

DRE:

How was it working with Pierce Brosnan in After the Sunset?

SH:

I’ve always been a fan of his and I wanted to work with him for a long time. He’s a very talented actor and his character is very relaxed, spontaneous and goofy. He has messy hair, a little beard and looks so handsome.

DRE:

How about with director Brett Ratner?

SH:

Brett has a magnetic personality and a good eye. I trust him implicitly. He never goes for just one thing. He goes for a lot of different possibilities and choices. It’s a lot of fun because you get to do every scene multiple times with a different emotion each time.

DRE:

Though this movie is PG-13 you still show a lot of skin.

SH:

We were in the Bahamas, what do you expect! Are you complaining?

DRE:

No of course not [laughs].

SH:

[laughs] We sipped cocktails, listened to the music and stole diamonds. It’s a fun film. The movie is sexy and it will make you want to go on a vacation.

DRE:

How was doing a bit of femme fatale for this movie?

SH:

I actually have a complete different perspective on it. I like this character a lot. She’s not trying to lure men because she is madly in love with her man. I highly recommend for all the women in the world, even if they are 71 and been together a long time, it still is always important to not take your man for granted. It’s always good to flirt with him because it’s a great sport. I don’t think it is being a femme fatale when someone is doing it to not necessarily manipulate men like a black widow. She does it out of love. She wants him so badly to stay with her and be happy. So I think it’s nice for women to try to be sexy for her man.

DRE:

Obviously in the beginning of the movie your characters are rich and free. Does being a celebrity relate to that?

SH:

Freedom? I like to work a lot but I like it even better when I’m not working. The perfect scenario is when you finish a job then you know you have something coming up in six months so you have time off until then. That is paradise because you go on vacation and have fun.

DRE:

Do you like to build decks like your character in After the Sunset?

SH:

I liked doing that. I had never done it before but I had so much fun that my brother is going to teach me to build stuff for the farm.

DRE:

What else do you do for fun?

SH:

I will take one day just to sit, watch movies and eat. Then the next day I might take a trip to my farm. There isn’t that much to do there so I will just sit and watch the chickens because they are so funny. There is no assistant director following me around taking into the walkie-talkie “Ok she’s going to the bathroom.” On a movie they have to watch every move you do so it’s just nice to just enjoy life even if it’s simple. I like the simplicity of life just like my character.

DRE:

There are very few Hollywood movies where the camera will pan over a half naked man, maybe Troy is the exception.

SH:

I highly appreciated that.

DRE:

But in many of your movies, including this one, the camera will focus in on your butt then travel around to the front of you then go up your chest to your face. How do you feel when you watch that?

SH:

I look at the camera move. I’m completely fascinated by that. I’m interested in the moves and the lighting. It would be atrocious if the camera wasn’t inspired to move around me. I like films a lot. I like the technical side of things. Sometimes when I look at a film I’m not so self conscious about myself. I actually watch the movie. Even if I know what’s going to happen I get into it. I have to watch it a second time to look at myself. While I am making it I am obsessed with myself but then when I watch it I relax.

by Daniel Robert Epstein

SG Username: AndersWolleck

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