美国国家公共电台 NPR Landing Starring Roles At 50, Salma Hayek Enjoys 'Proving Everyone Wrong'

 

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

In the film "Beatriz At Dinner," Salma Hayek plays a masseuse who is invited to a dinner party after her car breaks down at her wealthy client's house. There she meets a powerful real estate developer played by John Lithgow who hunts big game in Africa for fun and has little time for political correctness.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "BEATRIZ AT DINNER")

SALMA HAYEK: (As Beatriz) When I first came to the United States a long time ago...

JOHN LITHGOW: (As Doug Strutt) Did you come legally?

HAYEK: (As Beatriz) Yes.

LITHGOW: (As Doug Strutt) And how'd that work?

HAYEK: (As Beatriz) I had family here on my mother's side. And my grandmother died...

LITHGOW: (As Doug Strutt) And they're all citizens? Or...

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: (As character) God, Doug, what? You work for the INS? You're grilling¹ her.

LITHGOW: (As Doug Strutt) I'm curious. A lot of people come here illegally. I was interested in how she did it.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Over the hours that follow, the conflict escalates² revealing the true nature of the guests. Hayek's performance has won rave³ reviews. She joined us to discuss the project and her career.

HAYEK: It's the first time I can tell you it really did land in my laptop (laughter). I was always a fan Miguel Arteta and Mike White. They did "Chuck & Buck," "The Good Girl," "Enlightened." And one good day, two weeks before my 49th birthday, they said we have a project that we have you in mind for. Mike has not written yet, but we'd would like for you to be a part of it. And I said, oh, that's great. What is it about? And Mike said, it's a dinner. I go, OK. And, you know, Lulu, I thought for sure I'm going to be cooking.

(LAUGHTER)

HAYEK: I'm just going to be a small role. And I said, what do I play? And he said, you know, a masseuse. And I said, all right, all right. Who else is in it, you know? And he said, so far only you. Two weeks later, the day of my birthday, I get an email from him that said happy birthday with a script.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: You've just mentioned two things - first of all, that this is the first thing that's really ever landed in your lap and, secondly⁴, that you expected to be cooking. Even now, you feel that - that you would probably be cast as a cook, Salma Hayek?

HAYEK: I have had to fight very, very hard for every little mediocre⁵ part I ever got. But now it's very different, Lulu. I don't know why. You know, they told me, you'll never work. I got the work. Then they said, it's going to be over at 35. And I'm 50. Never have I had so many opportunities before. And I take so much pleasure in proving wrong (laughter). It's a great satisfaction.

And, you know, I have a friend - an Italian friend who's a brilliant actress - Valeria Golina. She's working a lot, too. And we're looking at each other one day and said, why are we working so much? And then she said, you know why? We don't have the Botox.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: (Laughter) You don't have Botox.

HAYEK: We don't have it. We don't look as hot like some other ones. But we're working on stuff because we can look like real people.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I saw you quoted that when you first arrived to act in America, they told you to go back to Mexico. You'll never be more than a maid in this country. Have you had to sort of pave your own way?

HAYEK: Yes. And also, there's all the battles I fought behind doors.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Tell me about those.

HAYEK: I don't know how much I want to talk about that. But I can tell you that I've threatened people - to sue them if they don't see me for a part because they're specifically saying that a Latino could never have the profession that the part had. And they said even if you're brilliant and the best in the world, you will never get the part. And I said, that's OK. I know that. I still have to come because there was one time when confusion, where they were offering me a part. And they said, it's not written Latina, but we will change it for her.

And then when I was coming in, they said, oh, no, no, that's not the part. Are you crazy? She would never play - I would - we would never think about her for that part because she's Mexican. And I said, you said that you would change it. Yeah, the bimbo not this professional. So I said, no, they have to see me now or I will sue because they were very, very racist⁶. And so I went in. And they made me wait five hours. It was a long table with maybe six people.

They said, why would you humiliate⁷ yourself and waste our time and your time? Well, you already know you're not wanted. And then I said, but you know what? I am here. And I did such a brilliant audition⁸. They were laughing and smirking⁹ at the beginning. When I finished, I was so proud because they looked at me completely different. And he said that was smart. I had no idea you were that good. I still want what I want. And it's Caucasian. But I have to give it to you. You surprised me.

Years later, that lovely man came back to me and said, I apologize. I made a mistake. You would have been better in that movie. And I thank you for exposing me to it. And so I have done a lot of battling that nobody knows. But you have to know your battles. I didn't sue them. I didn't scream at them. I did my best work. The way to shine the light on ignorance - it's not by violence or aggression¹⁰. It's just by putting a light in the right place.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Do you think, more generally, from being a Hispanic that also being an attractive woman makes it harder? When they used the word bimbo, like what you just said, I mean, is that also a stereotype¹¹ that is difficult to shake?

HAYEK: All stereotypes¹² are difficult to shake. But I used it. I used it. I turned the tortilla around on them (laughter).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Explain.

HAYEK: Because at the time it was either a drug dealer¹³ wife or the maid or an extra in the supermarket. And they couldn't have accepted a lawyer. But they could accept a hot Latina. That was not who I am. But that's what, at this time, they could feel safe with. And then I did my own movie. That was "Frida." And it took me eight years to get it off the ground. And I did it myself.

And then I get little by little, they start changing their mind. If I had come here with everything landing on my lap, then you don't develop as far and as strongly as you can. Because of that, I know how to produce film, television. I know how to write. I know how to direct. I can do many things. And I can do them well.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: But it's a hard road to have to battle that continually.

HAYEK: Oh, it's a hard road. I rather have a hard road into excellence¹⁴ than the easy road into mediocracy. And it's important that I say this if we have any Latinos or any immigrants listening to this. This is an invitation for us to wake up and be excellent at anything that we do.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Salma Hayek, thank you so much for joining us.

HAYEK: Bye-bye, Lulu.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 grilling   

v.烧烤( grill的现在分词 )；拷问，盘问

参考例句：

• The minister faced a tough grilling at today's press conference. 部长在今天的记者招待会上受到了严厉的盘问。
• He's grilling out there in the midday sun. 他在外面让中午火辣辣的太阳炙烤着。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 escalates   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的第三人称单数 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• As the challenge escalates, the need for teamwork elevates. 面临的挑战越大，越需要团队协同合作。 来自互联网
• I cannot understand why a minor disagreement escalates into a fist-fight. 我真不明白为什么一点意见不合就变成了拳头相见。 来自互联网

3 rave   

vi.胡言乱语；热衷谈论；n.热情赞扬

参考例句：

• The drunkard began to rave again.这酒鬼又开始胡言乱语了。
• Now I understand why readers rave about this book.我现明白读者为何对这本书赞不绝口了。

4 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

5 mediocre   

adj.平常的，普通的

参考例句：

• The student tried hard,but his work is mediocre. 该生学习刻苦，但学业平庸。
• Only lazybones and mediocre persons could hanker after the days of messing together.只有懒汉庸才才会留恋那大锅饭的年代。

6 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

7 humiliate   

v.使羞辱，使丢脸[同]disgrace

参考例句：

• What right had they to bully and humiliate people like this?凭什么把人欺侮到这个地步呢？
• They pay me empty compliments which only humiliate me.他们虚情假意地恭维我，这只能使我感到羞辱。

8 audition   

n.(对志愿艺人等的)面试(指试读、试唱等)

参考例句：

• I'm going to the audition but I don't expect I'll get a part.我去试音，可并不指望会给我个角色演出。
• At first,they said he was too young,but later they called him for an audition.起初，他们说他太小，但后来他们叫他去试听。

9 smirking   

v.傻笑( smirk的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Major Pendennis, fresh and smirking, came out of his bedroom to his sitting-room. 潘登尼斯少校神采奕奕，笑容可掬地从卧室来到起居室。 来自辞典例句
• The big doll, sitting in her new pram smirking, could hear it quite plainly. 大娃娃坐在崭新的童车里，满脸痴笑，能听得一清二楚。 来自辞典例句

10 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

11 stereotype   

n.固定的形象，陈规，老套，旧框框

参考例句：

• He's my stereotype of a schoolteacher.他是我心目中的典型教师。
• There's always been a stereotype about successful businessmen.人们对于成功商人一直都有一种固定印象。

12 stereotypes   

n.老套，模式化的见解，有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
• It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调，我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

14 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。