Salma Hayek Interview

CBS Late Show with Tom Snyder; hosted by Jon Stewart

[In the first segment Salma was talking about how she sneaked tequila from Mexico to the cooks and chefs (not sure where, think it's the private school she attended in the U.S.) when she was 13. And how she then got the best food. She also explained how and why she drinks tequila and how she began smoking cigars. November 2 is the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead. It is in honor of deceased loved ones. She had a grandfather that drank tequila, and a grandfather that smoked cigars. So in honor of her grandfathers, she would drink tequila and smoke cigars on the Day of the Dead. Also, Salma was noticeably fumbling on the pronounciation of words. She attributed this to the studio temperature. The following is the second segment. It is not 100% accurate, but it is my attempt at transcribing.]

[The second segment starts off with a caller, Brian, from Burlington, VT.]

Brian:How are you doing, Jon?
Jon: A little pensive, but thank you. Ahh... how you doing? You have a question for Salma?

Brian: Yes I do. Hi Salma.

Salma: Hi Brian.

Brian: How are you? I have just a quick queston, how difficult was it for you to do the strip scene in From Dusk Till Dawn and working with Quentin Tarantino?

Salma: Oh well, working with Quentin Tarantino was very... was not diffulct at all. He's a lot of fun and he's a good friend too, himself.

Jon: Talkative chap.

Salma: Talkative chap, yes.

Jon: Likes to throw the stories around.

Salma: Yep, he has some good stories. I like to listen to him.

Jon: Yeah?

Salma: I do.

Jon: Now in that strip scene, I remember... Brian, tell me if you remember this. You pour whiskey down your leg...

Brian: Exactly...

Jon: ... into his mouth.

Brian: Exactly...

Salma: Yes.

Jon: Now I just wanna ask this quickly, who wrote that scene?

Salma: Quentin.

Jon: Quentin wrote that? Well, how interesting!

Salma: George Clooney often complains about this. You know, how he's like, you know, the hero of the movie. But in this particluar one, Quentin gets the girl to do all this.

Jon: Yeah, it's good to be the writer.

Salma: Yes.

Jon: Brian did you enjoy that movie, Dusk Till Dawn?

Brian: Yes, I did. It's always the day of the dead for me too.

Jon: Sorry?

Brian: It's always the day of the dead for me.

Jon: Fan of tequila. Am I right sir?

Brian: Exactly.

Jon: Well, you gotta keep warm in Burlington, VT. Thanks for calling Brian.

Brian: Yeah, and I just wanna say, Jon, you're doing a great job with this. And you always do a great job with your shows, an uh...

Jon: Brian, I appreciate that very much.

Brian: I hope you get your own show again soon, man.

Jon: Thank you, Brian.

Salma: Yes, we vote for that.

Jon: That's wonderful. So uh yeah, you're on the set, you got George Clooney, the hunk of the moment. You're breaking through in all these hot roles. Are these guys, are they hitting on you now? Is it a whole, like, do the famous guys start calling you? Like you get the calls from, you know, Costner calls, I wanna have dinner with you.

Salma: No, I get some calls from some famous [she stumbles on her words] see it's very cold in here!

Jon: It's cold. It's very cold in here. I'm having trouble speaking, as well.

Salma: I get some calls from guys, but not the guys I've worked with. I've been really lucky I established really good relationships, working relationships.

Jon: Right...

Salma: And some really good friendships with the people that I've worked with.

Jon: You know what I think the problem here is, Salma?

Salma: What?

Jon: I think you're a little intimidated by my beauty.

Salma: Yeah.

Jon: I think it's rare that ou're this close to this, uh. .. the kind of ethnic...

Salma: Jon, I have to confess, it's really true, and you know what did it?

Jon: No, it's not!!

Salma: Let me tell you. No, I'm gonna be very honest. I'm gonna tell you. You know what did it for me? Your socks.

Jon: Here's what she's saying, folks. Here's the big goof. Big loser boy's wearing white socks and a suit. How bout that for loser boy? I pick out the whole outfit and I forget the fact that I'm wearing...

Salma: That's what it is. See, I saw those socks and I just went... In fact I'm gonna have my shoes kiss your shoes.

Jon: Well, you know as soon as I get outta here, I go right to the gym. I don't even change my clothes.

Salma: Well that's interesting.

Jon: So I stay in the white socks. How bout your love life? You know, I'm hearing that you've been engaged four different times to, I'm assuming, four different fellas.

Salma: You know what? [pointing] I have a great story about the stripping... [salma is obviously avoiding the question]

Jon: There's no pointing on this show! There's no need to point, young lady!

Salma: I have a great story about the dance that I just suddenly remembered.

Jon: What dance?

Salma: The dance I did in From Dusk Till Dawn.

Jon: Oh, lets hear it.

Salma: Okay, maybe some people are gonna be mad at me. But this is really not...

Jon: Nah, we're all friends here.

Salma: I'm not saying anything wrong.

Jon: We're friends.

Salma: I just finished a movie called Fools Rush In.

Jon: Fools Rush In, with Matthew Perry.

Salma: With Matthew Perry.

Jon: ... from the cast of Friends.

Salma: And a bunch of us went to a stripper place in Vegas.

Jon: Now, what's a bunch? Is that 3? Is that 10?

Salma: That's the director, the producer, that's 10, 15, okay?

Jon: At a strip joint?

Salma: Yes, in Vegas.

Jon: Vegas strip joint?

Salma: Yes.

Jon: You're at the epicenter of stripdom.

Salma: Yes, we went. And, you know, topless, you know.

Jon: Topless? Yes, I know.

Salma: And all the boys, you know, they're like, 'let's go see these girls.' And, you know, all these handsome people, and guys, you know, walk in. And then the girls, you know. I sit down and they all come over and talk to me. 'Oh, you're the girl from From Dusk Till Dawn. We get a lot of requests. A lot of people want us to do the dance and do the whiskey thing.'

Jon: You're kidding!

Salma: So Quentin has really come up with, um...

Jon: So you have set off a dance craze. You're sort of the Chubby Checker of the strip world. You've set off, like, a dance craze, like the twist, in the strip world. Was that hard to go to a strip joint? Cause even I get uncomfortable in those.

Salma: Yes, I was embarrased. It was kind of strange. It was fun. It was a joke. We were with a bunch of people...

Jon: Right, you're goofing around with some friends. Obviously you're relaxed with them, you've been around them for a long time.

Salma: Yes, with some friends.

Jon: You've been engaged four times.

Salma: Oh, god! I thought, you know... [laughter]

Jon: I'm stunned by that!

Salma: I came up with a good one to get you off that track! I get it away and you go back to it!

Jon: My girlfriend, now we've been together for, you know, a year, a year and half, we still haven't done...

Salma: That's great.

Jon: What's the average length of time in your relationship, before you get engaged? What's the fastest you ever got engaged? What's the longest you ever got engaged?

Salma: The longest? After a year and a half.

Jon: So sometimes, like a guy will be out with you for a week, and go, 'You must marry me.'

Salma: Oh, they always do that! But you know that's not for real, until you see the ring.

Jon: Is that true? Anybody can come up with a ring, for god's sake.

Salma: No it's not even the ring.

Jon: What's the most romantic way you've ever been proposed to? Anybody get down on their knees? Anybody do the sky-writing? Do it at a ballgame?

Salma: I really have not had anybody be really romantic about it, except for once...

Jon: Basically they just walk by, 'Hey, marry me!'

Salma: No, one time we broke up. And then on Valentine's Day, you know, he said we should get back together and we should get married.

Jon: That's very nice. Now, you say to them at the time, 'I would be delighted to marry you.' And then...

Salma: It's just so romantic, Jon. It's so flattering that somebody...

Jon: Yeah.

Salma: And you know, you're with these people for some reason so at the time, I would think it was such a fantastic idea, and I would say, 'yes!'

Jon: Now, are you the one usually who breaks it up? Like, you wake up the next day and go, 'D'oh!'

Salma: Well, not the next day. No, not the next day. But, you know, as you're getting closer, it's becoming more real.

Jon: Right.

Salma: And I was very young too, you know. The first time I was 18.

Jon: Oh, 18. Sure, that's tough.

Salma: So, I was smart. Once it starts becoming real, you realize that probably, this is...

Jon: It's not right.

Salma: No, not right.

Jon: You're someone who gets what you want a lot. Am I correct? Have you ever set your sights in something and not gotten it?

Salma: Yes.

Jon: You have?

Salma: Yes, I have.

Jon: In love, or career, or?

Salma: In love.

Jon: Yeah?

Salma: Mostly...

Jon: Somebody broke your heart?

Salma: Career, too. Yes. A couple of times...

Jon: Well, when we come back, we will...

Salma: A dozen of times.

Jon: A dozen times, wow! When we come back, we'll be cheered up by more phone calls and more talk with Salma Hayek.

Salma: Yes, yes. Let's change the subject!

Jon: We're changing the subject fast. From white sock boy to you. Come back soon.