Vogue Arabia cover welcomes Salma Hayek in an interview with Penélope Cruz

Friends for over 20 years, Lebanese-Mexican Salma Hayek and Spanish Penélope Cruz talk about their cultural roots and their journey in Hollywood.

Friendship between stars

About the beginning of this long-lasting companionship, Penélope introduces, asking if Salma remembers how they met and if she felt they would be friends. Hayek responds that they always had people in common, but on a trip to Spain, watching a film that Penelópe was in, she was questioned by the press: “They asked me who I would like to work with and I said: Penélope Cruz. Your father watched one of the interviews and called you and you found my number and called me directly. We were starting our careers and I asked why don't you stay at my house?” and goes on to say that their connection was instantaneous.

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^{Salma and Penélope together at an awards ceremony in 2020 (Photo: Reproduction/Getty Images Embed/Kevork Djansezian)}

The duo even competed for the same role in a production, Penélope remembers when a producer contacted them to play the same character, without knowing that they were close, Hayek responds: “It was difficult for people to understand how two women, who on the outside would appear to be competitors, were so close. When it came to work, we always told each other what we were doing. And we said, OK, we want this movie, but if I don't get it, I hope you can. We were able to negotiate that.”

Regarding the difficulty of having friendships in the artistic world, Hayek says that she has a very trusting relationship with Penélope, where they never lie to each other: “It allowed us to navigate the hypocrisy and falsehood of Hollywood. There is no one else in the world who can understand me better.” and adds that the duo went through different phases of life together, such as dating, pursuing an artistic career, dreaming, getting married and having children, who have always been each other's companions for all occasions.

Lebanese ties, family and future plans

Born in Mexico and descended from a Lebanese father, proud of her cultural background, Salma was excited to collaborate with the designers Lebanese Nicolas Jebran and Rami Kadi: “You grow up thinking you have a home you never knew,” says about this inheritance. The actress visited Lebanon in 2015 and says she was never the same after that experience, she said she cried the whole time, went to refugee camps, a pediatric hospital, saw street food vendors, but when she found so many people on the street, she felt loved.

About your experience in such culturally different environments, Hayek vents: “A big part of my heritage is the importance of community, friendship and family. In Mexico, we were the foreigners. I've always been an immigrant my whole life, I don't know any other experience. I was born in Mexico, but I grew up in a Lebanese community . When you are a Lebanese immigrant, there is a community wherever you go that will give you a hand.”

^{Salma Hayek for Vogue Arabia 2024 (Photo: Reproduction/Vogue/Cuneyt Akeroglu)}

When asked about family and children, Salma said that as an Arab woman, she highly values ​​motherhood and places it as a priority: “It's so important to me, God gave me this incredible blessing. I only managed to have one and that was a miracle. Eventually, I ended up being blessed with four, including François's three (spouse since 2009 and French businessman)” and adds that being a mother has completely changed her, that there is nothing more important to her than her family.

Regarding fame and motherhood, Salma said that forgetting about the spotlight helps her manage both roles better, where she just focuses on being a good person and that this makes her not think about how she is being seen. The actress also says that she and her husband have solid, non-materialistic values ​​and principles, which help them keep their minds in the right place and take care of their family.

Regarding future work, Salma shared that she is working on two films as a director, but she already makes it clear that it will be something atypical and original, even though it is a difficult task to reconcile everything, she will not settle for anything less.

Featured Photo: Salma Hayek for the cover of Vogue Arabia magazine (Reproduction/Vogue/Cuneyt Akeroglu)