Nymphaea
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The Edit by Net-A-Porter
February 19, 2015
The Heroine
Model Salma Hayek Pinault
Photographer Nico
Styling Natalie Brewster
February 19, 2015
The Heroine
Model Salma Hayek Pinault
Photographer Nico
Styling Natalie Brewster
net-a-porterHollywood actress, activist, wife, mother – whichever role SALMA HAYEK PINAULT plays, she does it with unyielding passion. As she channels SS15’s muses in the season’s most dramatic dresses, she talks to LAURA CRAIK about feeling better than ever and why she will always find a way to achieve her dreams.
It is hard to stop gazing at Salma Hayek Pinault. She must surely be the youngest-looking 48-year-old walking the earth – and it is all natural. It really is. She wrinkles up her face just to prove it. “I never exercised my whole life, but now I do yoga,” she says breezily, by way of explanation. “I was always borderline chubby, because I like my food and, frankly, I like my wine. I have to say, I’m pushing 50 but I feel great. I looked worse in my youth! I’m in good shape right now.”
In truth, she is in great shape – and so is her career. Hayek Pinault has five films out in 2015: the thriller Everly, the animated film The Prophet, the baroque fantasy Tale of Tales, the drama Septembers of Shiraz, and the fabulously titled rom-com, How To Make Love Like An Englishman, in which she stars alongside Jessica Alba and Pierce Brosnan. “This is by far the busiest I have been in my life. The funny thing is that I really don’t even understand how [it all] came about. Maybe because when you don’t want something as much, you’re not desperate,” says Hayek Pinault, dissolving into throaty laughter. “You will see some of the best work of my life this year, because I’ve had the opportunity; because [the directors] gave me the roles.” She pauses for a sip of coffee. “If you think about it, I’m limited by the way I talk and by the way I look. I’m 48 years old. Amazing, talented people [stop finding work] at 32, 33 sometimes! Not so much in London, but in the US it’s crazy. Also, for those who have never seen me in person…” she says, leaning conspiratorially over the table, “I’m quite short. I have an overly... wavy body. I’m not like the girl next door who is easy to cast. I don’t fit into any of the stereotypes of a woman that should continue to work. I don’t know what it is, but I don't think it has anything to do with planning. It has something to do with karma, maybe. I believe in karma.”
Happy though she is about all of her releases, it is The Prophet that feels closest to Hayek Pinault’s heart, not least because in addition to voicing one of the characters, she produced the film. As one of the biggest-selling books in history (north of 100 million copies in over 40 languages since it was first published in 1923), adapting Lebanese author Kahlil Gibran’s iconic work was a passion project that consumed Hayek Pinault for four years.
“Can I tell you something?” she says. “I cannot find a distribution [company] in London. I can’t find distribution in many places. They think it’s too sophisticated for children. They say it’s too childish for adults. I’ll prove them wrong. Watch me. I’ll show it for free to every school. This is a labor of love. I’ll find a way.”
There is no doubt that Hayek Pinault is a woman who always finds a way. She found a way to become a Mexican soap star. She found a way to reinvent herself as a Hollywood movie star. She found a way to become a producer, an Oscar nominee and an outspoken activist, passionately campaigning for women’s rights through her involvement in the charity Chime for Change. She also found a way to happiness, marrying François- Henri Pinault, CEO of the luxury conglomerate Kering, and giving birth to their daughter, Valentina, now seven, at the age of 41.
When it comes to finding a way to combine these disparate but rewarding roles, Hayek Pinault admits it is a work in progress. She never spends more than two weeks apart from Valentina or her husband, all the while aware that when it comes to perfecting the work/life balance, women are harder on themselves than men.
“We’re constantly scrutinized, so we learn to be hard on ourselves because everybody is hard on us,” she says, “even our children, because we are the ones who are there all the time, providing that attention. In the workplace, men get better paid. They are more easily promoted than [women]. In order to be considered a good wife or mother, and in the workplace, the expectations are so high. We have to be more demanding in the workplace. We need to be more assertive in that department, and stand our ground in our own homes, and teach our children to give us a break and be more appreciative.”
You wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of this woman, but you sense that while her wrath might be fierce, it would take a lot to provoke it. She is hilarious company, laughing easily and often, though her brow furrows when discussing the issues she feels most passionate about.
On the lack of diversity in this year’s Oscar nominations, though, Hayek Pinault is sanguine. “Last year, the Best Director category was won by Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón [for Gravity]. The Best Cinematography category was won by Mexican cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. This year, one of the Best Picture nominees is Birdman, by Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu. Lubezki is nominated again for Best Cinematography. We have come a long way. Some of the best talent in the filmmaking industry today is Mexican. When I started out, this was unheard of.”
Asked about her Hollywood heroines, Hayek Pinault reels off names. “I have so many! Marion Cotillard is extraordinary,” she says. “But then Penélope [Cruz] has always been my hero and my friend. We've known each other for at least 20 years.” She also name-checks Meryl Streep, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Blake Lively, Judi Dench, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Hilary Swank, Naomi Watts an Julianne Moore. Even when we have moved on to discuss another topic, she suddenly exclaims: “By the way, Patricia Arquette! How amazing was her performance in the film Boyhood? Every year I have new heroes, because their work inspires me. Maybe in the old days there was this scary idea that actresses were very competitive with each other and they were all divas. [But] I’ve found so much kindness; I’ve been really supported by my peers.”
While she is effusive about her famous friends, she also portrays herself as a homebody. “Oh, you should see me sometimes,” she exclaims. “At the weekend, I walk around in my pajamas. Sometimes I’ll make an effort, but a lot of the time I’m just shameless. Comfortably shameless.”
Despite – or perhaps because of – being married to the owner of one of the world’s best ‘wardrobes’ [Kering is the holding company of 17 luxury labels, including Gucci and Saint Laurent], Hayek Pinault plays down her credentials as a fashion player. “I wasn’t a fashionista,” she says. “I was surrounded by fashionistas who made fun of me because I didn’t care. And when I started going out with François, they said, ‘How did you of all people land this guy? You don’t care about fashion.’ And I said, ‘You know what? That was probably refreshing.’”
It probably was, as was the fact that when she first met Pinault in 2006, she didn’t have a clue that he was one of the most eligible bachelors in Europe. After a brief split in 2008, the pair married in 2009, with three separate ceremonies. From the way she speaks about him, you sense that theirs is a true love match.
The actress once said it was important to marry someone “with more balls than you”. Did she find what she was looking for with Pinault? “I did,” she smiles. “But he is kind, too. He’s not a bully.”
Asked about her tips for a happy marriage, she says, “You’re going to laugh… Find the right guy!” she chuckles merrily. “That is the key, and it’s so hard because there are so few of them. It’s very important that they support you. They should never make you feel bad or insecure. What’s important in a marriage is generosity, thoughtfulness, thinking of the other person all of the time… Spend quality time together. And don’t forget over the years.”
Forget? If you were married to Salma Hayek Pinault, you wouldn’t dare – or want to.
