By 1998, Salma Hayek had already appeared in several successful films, but the roles she was being offered still weren’t what she wanted.
She had made an even bigger impact in From Dusk Till Dawn, but producers still struggled to imagine a Mexican actress in anything other than roles specifically written for Mexicans. As Hayek recalled, after one audition they praised her as “the best audition we’ve ever had,” only to tell her, “we just don’t think that this character can be Mexican.”
Dogma (1999) finally became a breakthrough for her: Serendipity was not written as a Latina character. She plays a muse who inspired the world’s greatest artists.
And a special mention today: Happy Birthday, Salma Hayek!