Salma Hayek really thought that giving a press conference with her costars from Cirque du Freak would be a fair press conference for everyone. Come on, with Salma Hayek on a panel, who would ask anyone else a question. So, sorry John C. Reilly and Chris Massoglia, it’s Salma Hayek who gets to talk about the new vampire movie, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s assistant.
Q: Salma, I have the same problem where I shave in the morning and it just grows right back. What sort of tips can you give for growing and maintaining a beard?
Salma Hayek: I think it’s very important to steam, so that you get the root of the hair. It’s important not to drink a lot, the night before, so that your hands don’t shake and you don’t cut yourself. And, at some point, it’s important to just let it grow and accept yourself with all the hair you have.
Q: How did you like the fabulous red dress you wear during the Cirque du Freak performance?
Salma Hayek: There were some amazing costumes in the film. Judianna [Makovsky] did a fantastic job. It was a really challenging movie for them. What I liked the most was that she really worked with you. We were all very picky about the character. It wasn’t just, “Oh, I want to look cool.” We were all very intense about really creating a character. I know John was. You have to be. So rarely do you get a character that you can create something big and theatrical, that has a look and a world of its own. It was really exciting to work on.
Q: What do you think about the vampire explosion and what do you like about vampires?
Salma Hayek: I don’t have a fascination for vampires. It’s quite ironic. I’ve actually been a vampire in a movie, and I’ve been in love with a vampire in another movie, and yet I have no fascination whatsoever with vampires. But, I did love this script. It wasn’t the fact that it was vampires. It also just happened to have facial hair.
Q: Can you talk about your involvement with the launch of Cirque du Soleil creator Guy Laliberte’s Expedition 21, to help the global water crisis?
Salma Hayek: It’s really rude to talk about other projects, but I’ll tell you that he’s trying to raise awareness of the problems with water, and I was lucky enough to read part of a poem for that.
Q: This movie ends in such a way that is very open for a sequel. Have they already talked to you about doing more films? Are you signed on for more?
Salma Hayek: We did sign a contract. We don’t know if it’s going to happen or not, but they made sure that we cannot just escape that easily, if it does well. I think it’s going to do really well, and I think it’s going to surprise many people.
Q: Do you currently have any projects that you are looking to produce with your company?
Salma Hayek: Yes, I have some plans. We are developing some movies and some television shows with my company. I was actually just talking to John [C. Reilly] about a project where he might be playing a Mexican soap star and Diego Luna will be his manager. We’ve been talking about that project since we were shooting this film. And, I think I’m going to have to write a part for Chris [Massoglia] because I am convinced that he’s going to be a huge star because he’s very, very talented, and I think I can get him very cheap right now.
Q: Do you want to direct at all?
Salma Hayek: I do want to direct, but not for awhile because I have a baby now.
Q: Your character in the film can see the future. Do you have any powers of prophecy?
Salma Hayek: Do you know a woman that doesn’t have them a little bit? But, I don’t have them any more than the average.
Q: What has come true for you?
Salma Hayek: I’m not going to tell you that. Do you really think, if I had some kind of mental powers, I’d be talking about them at a press conference?
Q: Is there some significance to the spider on your necklace you’re wearing today?
Salma Hayek: Oh my God, this is scary. Actually, it is some kind of bug. I don't know exactly what it is. My sister in law is the best jewelry designer. She’s really creative but she does very few pieces so I feel very happy that I have an in there so I can snatch one. I thought it was very appropriate for the character. That’s why I wore it.
Q: Being married to a French man, what have you discovered about the French culture that you were most surprised about?
Salma Hayek: Eating oysters for Christmas. I’m used to turkey.
Q: How long will it be before you let your daughter see this movie? Did she see you with the make-up and beard?
Salma Hayek: Yeah, she saw me with a beard. She understands it’s make-up. She was seven months old and she was not freaking out. I explained the process to her, and she saw it and was fascinated looking at it, but she knew not to touch it because it was fake. She was with me the whole time, and I had to show it to her, or I wouldn’t have seen her the whole day. I couldn’t put it on and take it off.
Q: Was it weird for you to see yourself like that, or are you just used to it?
Salma Hayek: I’m not totally used to seeing myself with a beard. John made me feel really good about it. He’d say, “Oh, my God, you look so hot with a beard,” and I’d be like, “Really?” It was like when I was a whale and swollen from the pregnancy, and I’d never looked worse in my life, and people said, “Oh, you glow.” They have no words to tell you how bad you look, so they tell you that you glow, and then you feel like you glow. It was the same with the beard. They made me feel good about it.
Q: What challenges did you encounter with shooting this movie, or was it just fun for you?
Salma Hayek: For me, it was a dream job because I had a very small part and everybody in the movie was amazing and fun to be with. For me, it was just a lot of fun. I would go in and talk with nice people and play a crazy character. It was not a lot of work. I spent a lot of time with my child. But, at the same time, everybody took this very seriously. The movie has a lot of comedy and they are fantastic characters, but part of the fun was working with such professional people. And, I was very impressed with Chris. He’s young and it’s his first movie. It would be very easy to get distracted. But, all the young kids were shocking. They were like machines. They were professional, focused, took it very seriously, really paid attention to the directions and really tried to understand and learn. They were always watching John. Everybody took it very seriously, and that was part of the fun.
