Words by Leslie Monet
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Not Salma too! What we all thought to ourselves when Mexican megastar Salma Hayek took to the media this week revealing her stomach-wrenching experience while on set with Harvey Weinstein, leading up to their filming of the 2002 Oscar-winning film Frida.
Salma revealed in her bare-all commentary in the New York Times, buried emotions of the many unwarranted sexual encounters during the pre-production of Frida stating:
“I had brainwashed myself into thinking that it was over and that I had survived; I hid from the responsibility to speak out with the excuse that enough people were already involved in shining a light on my monster. I didn’t consider my voice important, nor did I think it would make a difference.”
The verbal abuse Salma endured from Weinstein, back in the 90’s, seemed to become more and more prevalent than the countless sexual advances she’d successfully shot down, prior to completion of the film she longed to see come to fruition. Salma recollected one furious attack when Weinstein admitted “I will kill you, don’t think I can’t”.
Her resilience through it all, including having to rewrite the script, raise $10 million to independently fund the film and cast all on her own, activated the young actresses fighting spirit. Salma had to face what was at the time one of her most paralyzing moments in her career. After Weinstein allegedly threatened to discontinue filming, he came to a lofty bargain.
“He would let me finish the film if I agreed to do a sex scene with another woman. And he demanded full-frontal nudity.
Salma reminisced on what she described as a nervous breakdown writing, “My body wouldn’t stop crying and convulsing…. It was not because I would be naked with another woman, it was because I would be naked with her for Harvey Weinstein.”
Frida went on to gross $56.3 million worldwide and land six Oscar nominations, winning two. But Salma’s commentary on her life-changing experiences with who she had justly nicknamed “my monster”, is an invaluable testament for the dozens of women who’ve already spoken out against Weinstein.
A statement was released yesterday from a Weinstein spokesperson stating in part;
“Mr. Weinstein does not recall pressuring Salma to do a gratuitous sex scene with a female costar and he was not there for the filming. However, that was part of the story, as Frida Kahlo was bisexual and the more significant sex scene in the movie was choreographed by Ms. Hayek with Geoffrey Rush. The original uni-brow used was an issue because it diverted attention from the performances. All of the sexual allegations as portrayed by Salma are not accurate and others who witnessed the events have a different account of what transpired.”
