The movie Salma Hayek will never get tired of watching: “One I’ve seen countless times”
Of all the great actors to come from Mexico, few have had quite as far a reach as Salma Hayek. Born in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Hayek got her start in telenovellas before eventually reaching the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. In 2002, she became the first Mexican to be nominated for ‘Best Actress’ at the Oscars, thanks to her turn as Frida Kahlo in the eponymous biopic, Frida. Since then, her career has only gone from strength to strength.
She might have begun her career on the small screen, but it’s clear that Hayek has an affinity for the movies. Her face can be seen across a variety of different strands of the medium. She’s collaborated with celebrated auteurs, such as Ridley Scott for House of Gucci and Oliver Stone for Savages. Even her voice has appeared in the Puss in Boots series of animated films, and she’s had parts in major blockbusters like Marvel’s Eternals. Although, given how that thing turned out, she’d probably prefer if we all forgot she was ever in it.
Of all the films Hayek has seen or been a part of, however, one underseen title stands out above the rest. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, the star was asked if there was one film that she could watch over and over again, and she named one of her own projects. It might seem a bit big-headed, but she had very good reasons for choosing it.
“I’m not one of those people who watch the same films over and over, but one I’ve seen countless times is Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet,” she said, referring to the 2014 animated feature that she both starred in and produced. “I was very hands-on in post-production. And I don’t normally like to watch my own movies, I promise you! Each time I see it, I’m moved by something different, much like every time I reread Kahlil Gibran’s book, which was the inspiration.”
Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet, known as simply The Prophet, also features the voices of Liam Neeson, John Krasinski, and Quvenzhané Wallis. Directed by Roger Allers of The Lion King fame, it’s the gorgeously rendered story of a poet named Mustafa (Neeson), who becomes an enemy of the Ottoman Empire in Lebanon. Along with his housekeeper (Hayek) and her mute daughter (Wallis), he plots an escape so as to continue his vital work of supplying hope to the revolution via his words.
The book that the film is based on was first published in 1923. Khalil Gibran was born in Ottoman-controlled Lebanon, but moved to the United States with his family when he was a young boy. He wrote the book, which takes the form of a series of fables collected by the fictional Mustafa, as an ode to the idea of religious unity in a divided world. Since it was first made available, The Prophet has never been out of print. It has been translated into dozens of languages, adapted into various different mediums, and championed by celebrities, including Marilyn Monroe and, of course, Hayek.
With a plethora of big-hitters to choose from, the fact that Hayek opted for something as personal as The Prophet proves that she has a deep connection to it. This was her chance to bring a book she loves to a brand new audience, and it’s one she grabbed eagerly with both hands.
