In America they used to tell actresses they 'expired' at 30: Salma Hayek

The Hollywood star reveals how she achieved her American dream

Salma Hayek has established herself as a famous actor in Hollywood today. The 52-year old beauty is famous for her roles in films such as Wild Wild West, Grown Ups, After the Sunset and Frida, among others.

But according to her, the rise to fame wasn't all that easy. In an interview with InStyle, she reveals what it was like when she was in her 20s and how she broke barriers as a Latina woman. "What I remember most about my 20s is that I didn’t want to be 30," she laughed. "In America they used to tell actresses they expired at 30. That’s why I was scared. Now I don’t care about getting older."

PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/SALMA HAYEK

The star continued to discuss being comfortable in her own skin and accepting growing older. "When I turned 40 and then 50, I didn’t mind at all."

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Salma shot her first InStyle cover at the age of 29, in 1998. It was an important step for her career because she was the first Latina on the What's Hot Now issue. In September 2003, she starred  on the second cover after she was nominated for an Oscar for her performance as Frida Kahlo, a Mexican painter known for brilliantly coloured self-portraits that deal with themes such as identity.

PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/SALMA HAYEK

"Nobody wanted to make a story about a Mexican communist artist with one eyebrow. It was really hard. But I had a vision for it. And I’m proud that I produced it too. There was no “Oh, can I please have a credit?” No, no, no. I made it happen," Salma revealed.

In 2009, the star got on the cover of The Colour Issue. Back in the early 2000's, Salma would not get magazine covers because she was a woman of colour which she found ironic. "I was also 42. Remember that I was told I would expire at 30? Here I am, 42 years old and still on the cover of magazines," Salma said during the interview. "By then I had found the love of my life, I had a child, I had gotten a Golden Globe for producing Ugly Betty, and I had won a Daytime Emmy for directing The Maldonado Miracle. Life was great."

PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/SALMA HAYEK

Salma now continues to be an activist for women, a role she has worked on for more than 25 years. According to her, things have changed a lot in Hollywood for women since then.

"I’m a big risk-taker. I’ve learned that when you have clarity about what you really want in life and you commit to giving it your best, things usually work out for you in the end."

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