Salma Hayek: Lesser-known facts about the Latina actor

From Mexican telenovelas to Hollywood blockbusters, Salma Hayek has built a career as an actor, producer and director while repeatedly challenging the industry's expectations of Latina performers. She has also championed stories close to her heritage and taken on projects far beyond the glamorous roles that first made her famous. Here are some lesser-known facts about her remarkable journey. (wikimedia commons)

She Was Inspired to Act by Willy Wonka: Hayek has recalled that watching Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory in a local Mexican cinema inspired her to become an actress. Her path eventually took her from Mexico to a boarding school in Louisiana and later to Mexico City's Universidad Iberoamericana, before she abandoned university to pursue acting seriously. (wikimedia commons)

She Created Her Own Production Company: In 1999, Hayek founded Ventanarosa, her own production company, giving her greater control over the stories she wanted to bring to screen. The company later became involved in projects including Ugly Betty, for which Hayek served as an executive producer and also appeared on screen. (wikimedia commons)

She Left a Hit Telenovela for Hollywood: At just 23, Hayek was already a major star in Mexico thanks to the telenovela Teresa. She surprised people by leaving the successful series and moving to Los Angeles in 1991 to pursue Hollywood, despite having little success finding roles initially. Her breakthrough eventually came with Desperado in 1995. (wikimedia commons)

She Spent Years Fighting to Make Frida: Hayek's connection to Frida Kahlo began when she was a teenager, and she spent years trying to bring the painter's story to the screen. She worked on the project for roughly eight years, going through numerous drafts before Frida was finally made in 2002. She also starred in and produced the film. (wikimedia commons)

She Studied Frida's Photographs Like a Detective: For Frida, Hayek became intensely focused on historical accuracy. She collected photographs of Kahlo and examined them with a photographer's magnifying loupe, studying tiny details such as jewellery, clothing and objects to understand when particular items appeared in Kahlo's life. She even noticed details such as Kahlo's habit of smoking with her left hand. (wikimedia commons)

She Was an Oscar-Nominated Producer, Too: Hayek wasn't simply the star of Frida—she was also its producer. Her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, making her the first Mexican actress nominated in that category. She has described Frida as the only film she has produced specifically as a vehicle for herself. (wikimedia commons)