Salma Hayek recently became the 2,709th celebrity to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
“If you think you aren’t good at it like I did, make yourself good at it,” the House of Gucci star told the crowd as she encouraged all to do what they loved and to do it well. “It doesn’t have to be the movies. Be your best at everything you do.”
Hayek also shared a scary moment at the beginning of her career in the 1990s, when she was nearly stabbed by a stranger on the same street she was being celebrated.
“Every time I thought about Hollywood Boulevard, this is what I remember,” the 55-year-old actress admitted. “The truth is that when I went home that night, I said ‘What am I doing here? Nobody wants me. I mean, I almost got killed today.’”
In addition to her struggles with the industry’s racism, Hayek still chose to stick with her passion for acting.
“If you ask yourself what gave me the courage to stay, I say it was you because although they didn’t know me, here in Hollywood, the studios, all the Latins that are in the United States knew who I was,” Hayek said. “They understood that I came here with dreams like they did.”
Hayek was honored by the Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti, Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao, and actor Adam Sandler.
“Salma is a person of incredible talent, depth, and compassion,” Zhao shared before Haye’s star was unveiled. “She is a woman who is brave enough to pave her own way and never allow anyone to put her in the box.”
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