Do we like Salma Hayek?
Our score: 8 out of 10. A long record of speaking up for women, migrants and refugees, with no harmful words of her own found; held back from the top only by thin evidence on LGBTQ+ issues.
Salma Hayek came up through Mexican telenovelas, with Teresa her big break, before moving to Los Angeles in 1991 speaking very little English. She fought her way into early roles opposite Antonio Banderas, then spent years pushing to make Frida, which she starred in and produced through her own company.
Frida earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, but it also led to the ugliest chapter of her career. In a 2017 New York Times essay she alleged Harvey Weinstein harassed and threatened her during the shoot, including demanding a sex scene with another woman. Weinstein released a statement refuting her allegations the next day.
Years later she told The Guardian he would scream at her over her looks, and that she wasn’t the only woman he targeted. She said she doesn’t want to shame anyone and simply wants the mistreatment to stop. She was the one speaking up at a real career risk, which counts for plenty.
On the harm check, nothing turned up in her own words or acts. In June 2025 she posted guidance on migrants’ rights during ICE encounters. Her Guardian interview has her welcoming the diverse casting in Marvel’s Eternals as a start. I found no specific LGBTQ+ campaigning either way, so that part of the record is thin.
The recent noise is mostly small. In June she appeared at the World Cup opening in Mexico City alongside FIFA’s Gianni Infantino, which sparked a row over whom she represented. Sheinbaum said it was FIFA’s decision and praised her. Back in 2024 a viral clip from a Paris Fashion Week show had Nicole Kidman telling her not to touch her; reports said the moment was accidental.
The good stuff is real. She says she has worked with UNICEF for more than a decade, including visits to Syrian refugee camps, and she has said she works behind the scenes with the Kering Foundation and Chime For Change. She also testified to the US Senate backing the Violence Against Women Act and has donated to women’s shelters.