Salma Hayek dedicates her star in Hollywood to the fans who gave her "value"
The Mexican, one of the most important Latin figures in Hollywood, was accompanied at the event by actor Adam Sandler.
Salma Hayek unveiled her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles (USA) and she dedicated this honor to the fans who, over the decades, gave her "courage" to follow her dreams. of it and succeed in American cinema.
The Mexican, one of the most important Latin figures in Hollywood, was accompanied at the event by actor Adam Sandler, with whom she worked in the comedies “Grown Ups” (2010) and “Grown Ups 2 ″ (2013); filmmaker Chloé Zhao, with whom she collaborated on the recent Marvel film "Eternals" (2021); and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who is a close friend of the actress.
Hayek's star is located very close to the Chinese Theatre, an emblematic cinema on Hollywood Boulevard, and numerous Hispanic fans of the actress attended the ceremony there.
Wearing an elegant black dress with a wide skirt, a high neckline and silver trim on the top, Hayek said it was a day of immense joy for her but also of "healing" for a "terrifying" episode of her past.
The actress herself explained that, about two years after coming to the US, she suffered an attack with a couple of friends on Hollywood Boulevard when a man attacked them with a knife. They fled as best they could and no one helped them until two people managed to subdue the attacker.
“Why am I telling you this story? Because every time I think of Hollywood Boulevard that's what I remember. And the truth is that that night when I went home I said to myself: 'What am I doing here? Nobody wants me to be here. I almost got killed today,’” she said.
"I remember once I went to the movies and someone hit me on the back of my seat and said: 'Mexican, don't sit in front of me. Go back to your country. I remember another time I was standing in line at a cafeteria and someone grabbed my arm, took me out of the line and told me: 'I'm not going to stand in line behind a Mexican,' " she developed.
Hayek also indicated that the studios believed that she would never have a place in the US and therefore they suggested that she return to Mexico to make soap operas. "But I stayed here," she said.
“I want to say to everyone here, my dear fans, that it was you who gave me the courage to stay here. Although they didn't know me in the Hollywood studios, all Latinos in the US knew who she was, they understood that she had come with dreams like them. These fans have been with me for 37 years. In the hard times, they gave me courage,” she said.
On the other hand, the actress pointed out that all people are made of "stardust". “So when you all see my star here, I want you to know that since you are all in my heart, some of our stardust is right here on this site. You are also part of this star, ”she finished.
TRIBUTES FROM FRIENDS
The Oscar nominee for best actress for "Frida" (2002) and who will premiere next week the film "House of Gucci", by Ridley Scott, received praise from her friends today at the ceremony.
Thus, Adam Sandler assured that Hayek is "one of the best actresses of our generation" and praised above all the friendship that unites them since they worked together.
In a somewhat strange speech and with a sense of humor that is sometimes off-key, Sandler apologized for not being as elegant as Hayek since she attended the event in a very informal style.
The actor became more serious to close his intervention and said that Hayek is "an incredible person and with his feet on the ground."
For her part, Chloé Zhao compared Hayek to her character in “Eternals” Ajak, who is “a leader, a mother, and a healer.” “Salma is a person of incredible talent, depth and compassion. She is a woman brave enough to open her own path ”, she defended her double Oscar winner for“ Nomadland ”(2020).
Finally, the mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, praised the Mexican woman in Spanish. “Salma is an angel in the city of Los Angeles. She is a representation of our dreams, our stories, and our hope,” she assured.
