Actress Salma Hayek opens up with the new issue of Marie Claire, which hits newsstands on April 17th, about meeting her husband, running a successful business, and no longer letting being an actress define her happiness.
On her husband, French retail magnate, Francois-Henri Pinault:
“He’s the best thing that ever happened to me and my work. I was trying to figure out how to have a child on my own. I came to terms with saying, ‘[Love] might not happen, and I have to be OK with that.’ Then someone came along whom I never would have pictured or thought I would have wanted; he was completely out of my box. Even though I was not looking, I was present and I was open. I am the luckiest person I know.”
On acting not being everything to her:
“What once was an expression of who I was – acting – also became my hiding place. But now I don’t depend on it so much for my happiness or my identity. And since it’s not my priority, I am doing the best work I’ve ever done.”
Salma on people who have a hard time accepting her as a businesswoman:
“Because I have a background in a different field, it can be hard to negotiate and make a good deal for myself. People always underestimate me. But if you stick around long enough, act out of conviction, and try to be honorable in everything you do, good things will come to you. I have seen karma work in this business.”
