The film that inspired Salma Hayek to become an actor
Salma Hayek has emerged as a cultural icon due to an extensive body of work that spans multiple cinematic genres. Over the course of an extremely impressive career, Hayek established herself as one of the biggest stars in Hollywood after starting out in smaller productions in Mexico where she started her journey in the world of cinema.
Even though she had been diagnosed with dyslexia and did not have a proper understanding of English, Hayek was very adamant about working in the US and was actually an illegal immigrant for a brief duration. It was during the second half of the 1990s that she finally got her breakthrough with films such as Desperado and From Dusk till Dawn.
Having collaborated with the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Russell Crowe among other well-known stars, Hayek continued to find success before garnering widespread critical acclaim for her fantastic performance as Frida Kahlo in Frida. Due to her incredible work, she even managed to nab an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
In an interview, Hayek was asked about her formative years and the films that inspired her to embark on this difficult journey. While naming the cinematic masterpiece that inspired her to become an actress, she claimed that she didn’t harbour plans of acting during those early days but she knew she wanted to be involved with films.
Recalling the magic of Mel Stuart’s gem, Hayek said: “I was really young…and I saw Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. And I remember when I saw this film, something clicked in my brain, and I went, ‘Woah, there is actually a universe within this life, within this universe, where anything can happen.'”
Featuring a definitive performance by Gene Wilder, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory has become immortalised in film history. Although Johnny Depp also portrayed the iconic character and Timothée Chalamet is set to follow in their footsteps soon enough, Wilder’s mark on the legacy of Willy Wonka is simply indelible.
Commenting on the surreal beauty of Mel Stuart’s 1971 masterpiece, Hayek explained how she was blown away by the magical possibilities of filmmaking. She added: “I realised that through filmmaking, you can create so many different realities and everything was possible. And so, I wanted to be part of that business.”
