Renowned actress Salma Hayek has revealed that she had to fight hard to secure her breakout role in the 1995 film Desperado. Despite being director Robert Rodriguez’s choice for the role, the studio was intent on casting another actress, Cameron Diaz, in a move Hayek described as driven by racial bias.
The Frida star recalled begging for an audition, as Latino actors were often sidelined in Hollywood at the time.
Desperado, which starred Antonio Banderas as El Mariachi and Hayek as Carolina, a Mexican bookstore owner, became a significant success, earning over $25 million at the box office. However, Hayek’s path to the role was far from smooth.
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Studio wanted Cameron Diaz for role
In an interview with Elle, Salma Hayek recounted the industry’s racial biases during the 1990s. “I remember Cameron Diaz was huge at the time, and her last name was Diaz, so they said she could be Mexican,” Hayek explained. “The studio wanted Cameron Diaz as a Mexican,” she continued, highlighting the difficulty she faced in being cast despite being Latina.
Salma Hayek shared how she had to fight to be heard: “I begged for an audition. They wouldn’t even give me one… And this is for a Latino role. They were not hiring Latinos for Latino roles.” The actress stressed the limited opportunities for Latinos in the industry, noting that such roles were often restricted to stereotypes like maids or prostitutes.
Since her breakthrough in Desperado, Hayek has become one of Hollywood’s most influential Latina actresses. Looking ahead, she is set to star in Without Blood, a film directed and produced by Angelina Jolie.
