Salma Hayek was on hand Saturday at the Cannes Film Festival to offer her opinion on the gender-biased situation in Hollywood.
Salma Hayek was on location at the festival to support her film, A Tale of Tales. At an event during the weekend hosted by Variety and co-hosted the by the U.N. Women’s HeForShe campaign, Salma Hayek shed some light on how Hollywood views women actors.
She said, “For a long time they thought the only thing we were interested in seeing were romantic comedies. They don’t see us as a powerful economic force, which is an incredible ignorance.”
Salma Hayek did point out that there is a niche in the film industry where women make more money than their male counterparts, but it’s not something to brag about.
She said, “The only kind of movie where women make more than men is the porno industry. It’s simple ignorance.”
Actress Parker Posey was also at the event and contributed examples from the past as to the greatness that women in film could have if given the chance.
She spoke of women in the films of the 1940’s, who were witty and complicated. She said, “It’s so rare that I see that in movies now. We’re in very masculine times. We’re at war. The culture is eating nature, it’s overpowering storytelling.”
Salma Hayek closed with a message to other women who are being oppressed in Hollywood. She said, “Look, we cannot stand as victims and say they are not looking at us.”
She added, “What gives me hopes is that we are in a position of power. And I am so grateful to gay men. If it wasn’t for Tennessee Williams and Pedro Almodovar, it would be even worse.”
What do you think about Salma Hayek’s statements about sexism in Hollywood?