We’re on the right path and we’re not going to stop: Salma Hayek on women in Hollywood

'Like a Boss' actor opens up on why films should not always be about 'women looking for a man'

Hollywood actor Salma Hayek is very hopeful about the future for women in the industry.

“What I can tell you is that a lot more women are directing and acting and writing and producing. And there are a lot more movies made about women and for women because the audience was neglected,” the star told Variety at the premiere of her new comedy Like a Boss in New York on Tuesday night. “We’re on the right path. And we’re not going to stop.”

The Oscar nominee was joined by her co-stars Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne. Like a Boss follows best friends Mia and Mel who join forces to run their own boutique cosmetics company.

PHOTO: FILE

When the prospect of a big buyout offer from a notorious titan of the beauty industry tempts them, their lifelong bond, and their business, is put in jeopardy.

On this, the 53-year-old said, “For once this is a movie that is not about a woman looking for a man or needing a man. I hope that a lot of people go to see it because the more that they see movies about women, the more that it empowers women.”

The comedy comes on the heels of a banner year in cinema that featured female protagonists in films like Little Women and Captain Marvel.

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As reported by Variety, there was a dramatic shift in 2019 with the percentage of female leads rising from 31% to 40% in top grossing films. According to a new study by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, the historical high also saw 45% of female protagonists appearing in studio features.

PHOTO: FILE

Last year, Hayek opened up about her rise to fame and how it 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.”

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