Salma Hayek Says She Was Turned Down From Two Leading Roles Because of Her Heritage

Salma Hayek is opening up about the discrimination she’s faced in Hollywood.

In a new interview, the 54-year-old The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard actress recalled auditioning for the lead role in “two big comedies” only to be turned down because she’s Mexican.

Click inside to read what Salma Hayek shared…

“Afterwards the directors told me that I was the best audition and that I was better than who they cast and that they regretted it,” Salma shared with Variety. “But at the time, they knew the studios wouldn’t have gone for a Mexican as the lead.”

Salma didn’t reveal which two comedies she was turned down from starring in. Later in the interview, Salma also talked about facing discrimination as a female in Hollywood.

“If you are a woman and you are in a movie that is very successful and they say you are their favorite character, they will still give all credits of the box office to the guy,” Salma said. “They don’t count who you’re bringing into the theaters.”

“In my case, I was already a very big star in my country,” she added. “I was bringing the Latino market into the theaters. I know some of the studios knew that. But they didn’t want to accept the value of the Latino market at the time.”

Also in the interview, Salma revealed that she’s still recovering after a near-fatal battle with coronavirus.