Interview Salma Hayek: On love and growing old gracefully

How do you see yourself today when looking at all of your accomplishments that you have achieved in your life?

Well, I feel very lucky. I think I have achieved a lot of things at my age. I think I am very, very, lucky because I found love. You know, I think this is number one, the greatest achievement is that I found a fantastic partner to share my life with that I am still in love with, and that supports me and inspires me to grow. I also think I am so lucky because I was able to have a child. Because I had my child late in my life and it was very possible that I couldn’t and I had my child. Also, he (François-Henri Pinault) had three other children, and I love children. I feel very lucky to have four children, a big family, and that I have a career...still. They told me I was never going to be able to work here, and for sure even for the women who are able to work here that they expire at age thirty.

You are living in exciting times...

I am excited that I got to live in a time where things changed for the Latin community and we get to work. It’s so different now. When I started there was no possibility. I’m also seeing a change for the women, I think I had a very interesting life and witnessed so many cool things in my life. I’m fifty and I am happy to be fifty and to have learned so many things. Also when you are fifty, my philosophy is that I should feel I should relax. It’s OK if I am not the most beautiful. You know what I am saying? I am fifty, I am other things too; and now people get to see the other things because they are not distracted with the youth and the beauty. I am comfortable, look I let my white hair grow.

Oh you have a gray hair…

I don’t dye [my hair] because I am curious to see how I am going to look with this. I am sure in the next movie they will say sorry you will have to dye it but I am enjoying watching them come in. I don’t have any Botox. Maybe later I will change my mind but for now I am comfortable being fifty. I am comfortable in my own skin.

You play a mom in the movie How To Be A Latin Lover, and you are a mom in real life. How do you compare yourself with your character and to real life?

I was going to say I am not very different in the mother techniques like Sara (Salma’s character). I actually do not allow a cell phone because my kid (Valentina Paloma Pinault) is only nine and for many reasons I think it’s important that they learn to wish for things that they cannot have. It’s important. They have to wish for it for many years until it is the right time. Everybody else in her classroom has a cell phone and I say I don’t care. But I am very encouraging with her to do the things that she likes and am not too strict. But I am with the cell phone. You have to pick a few things to be very strict for and then you have to let them be who they are and let them develop with their space and their curiosity. You have to let them show you who they are and then you have to adjust to who they are, and try to be the best parent for that particular kid. It’s not the same for every kid.

What are you the proudest for about being Latin/Mexican?

There is something really beautiful about being Latin and it’s shown in this movie through my character. We don’t give up so easy on our own people. We don’t give up on our family. It doesn’t matter. We learn to forgive. We always open the doors of our houses and we try to be there for them and to support them in the good times and the bad times. We hold this idea of honoring blood very, very, strongly. We don’t dismiss our family very easily. I am proud of that. We respect our elders. I think that in America I see a lot of people when they become inconvenienced they get put away. I believe we have to deal with inconvenience. For some, I think there are different cases. I do feel we have to respect their wisdom and love and honor them and care for them in their old age because they were there for us. Or even if they were not, I think it is a virtue to respect our elders.

Staying in shape

Salma defends her shape is a result of permanent muscle activation and of consciously contracting and stabilizing the muscles. While several experts sustain this is insufficient to maintain a fit and healthy shape, the main idea is that focusing on having a good posture, works.
The best way to practice this posture is with regular Yoga and Pilates classes. Working on the muscles that stabilize the body, strengthening them and collecting the full body benefits.