5 lessons in confidence from our cover interview with Salma Hayek Pinault

Salma Hayek Pinault is the embodiment of confidence and success - using her platform as a Hollywood icon to push boundaries, inspire change and pave the way for new generations of women.

Today we announce her as Marie Claire UK’s cover star and the face of our Confidence Issue, celebrating everything from positive ageing to sexual empowerment.

Starting her career as a Mexican soap opera star, Hayek Pinault has gone on to become one of Hollywood's most powerful and influential Latina actresses, starring in countless blockbusters and even earning an Oscar nomination for her leading role in 2002’s Frida. Equally influential is her work behind the camera as a critically acclaimed producer, even founding her own production company, Ventanarosa, back in 1999.

But 25 years later, the mother of four is not slowing down. In fact, at 56 years old, she’s just getting into her prime, explaining in her cover interview: “Shockingly I’ve never worked more… I’m just amazed that at my age I’m still working and having the best moment of my career”.

This week sees her return to the screen in the final Magic Mike instalment, Magic Mike’s Last Dance - a project that she explains “felt like a full circle of empowerment.”

As we launch Salma Hayek Pinault’s Confidence Issue, we will be shining a light on how to own your power and practice confidence across all areas of your life, from your relationships to your finances. Not to mention, we will be sharing some words of wisdom from Hayek Pinault herself in an empowering in-depth cover interview. 

Here are 5 lessons in confidence from our cover interview with Salma Hayek Pinault

1. Embrace change and use it for self-discovery

“I like to change – that’s my goal. What don’t I know about myself that I’m going to discover? I believe in change – that's the only form of evolution. I don’t like to be put in a box and I chose the perfect profession for that.

2. Being a mother doesn’t have to mean sacrificing your career 

“When you have kids, that’s a commitment for life. They need you. I thought that was going to mean I stopped working, and I was OK with that. But shockingly, I’ve never worked more. When I was available, I wasn’t getting all these offers! It’s when I’m prepared to give it up – because age is also a factor – that somehow it works out.” 

3. Don’t be afraid to be afraid

“I always enjoy the satisfaction of saying, ‘I still can do it’. Once you're in it, you have to commit and be that character. There is no space for fear. I’m not afraid to be afraid. I don’t know if I'm fearless. I was fearless before I had children. Then I became somebody who worries about everything.”

4. Empower yourself with your choices 

“When I read the [Magic Mike] script, I had preconceptions, but it surprised me because the woman’s point of view is extremely prominent. What attracted me was the concept of a woman who feels undermined. She’s at a moment in her life [where she’s] asking, ‘Who am I and what’s my contribution?’. I think a lot of women, especially women of my generation, feel we didn’t have enough opportunities and people didn’t take us seriously...And the other thing is that in this movie, instead of me doing the dance for the guys, the guy had to dance for me. It felt like a full circle of empowerment.”

5. Be accepting and grateful for your age 

“It’s about being in the present and being alive. When you’re present you forget certain things; I’m not thinking about how old I am when I wake up. I don’t even look in the mirror. Though, sometimes when I do look in the mirror I go, ‘Oh Jesus’, or I’ll think ‘How come I’m always tired?’ and I’ll remember, ‘Ah, I’m older now’. When it dawns on me, I make the effort to connect with life again. I’m just amazed that at my age I’m still working and having the best moment of my career. At this point I’m just grateful.”

Read Salma Hayek Pinault’s cover interview in full and the accompanying Confidence Issue  @MarieClaireUK.