While Salma Hayek greeted her colleagues in the community and took the microphone to announce the second season of Like Water for Chocolate, a series she produces, Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum was busy taking photos with members of the film community.
Salma, the Veracruz native who rarely appears professionally in Mexico, was the guest of honor at the presentation of federal incentives aimed at increasing the production of Mexican films and series, as well as attracting foreign productions.
The actress arrived at the National Palace exhausted, and it showed. Throughout the event, which began with Claudia Curiel de Icaza, head of the Ministry of Culture, she kept her gaze fixed ahead and, at least a couple of times, subtly touched her eyes in a classic gesture of fatigue.
But as soon as it was her turn to stand at the microphone, her serious expression transformed. As she does every day she’s called to a film set, leaving everything behind to get into character and command the scene. Here, it wasn’t just a role, but a message that, for many, came straight from the heart.
“I was fascinated to see her vulnerable, cool, nervous, serious, acknowledging her community. I got goosebumps,” said her colleague Dolores Heredia, one of the happiest with the Veracruz native’s presence, after the event.
Just as the official cameras stopped rolling in the Treasury Room and everyone stood up, Salma didn’t waste a minute. She chatted with Irene Azuela and Arcelia Ramírez and greeted María Rojo.
“My whole community is here—the people I started with, who inspired me, who taught me, and with whom I continue to work,” the Oscar-nominated actress for Frida had said. A few steps away, Sheinbaum Pardo was also a star. Just minutes before, Salma Hayek had described her as a president unlike any Mexico had ever had, and filmmakers confirmed her popularity.
Producers Alejandro Springall and Issa Guerra, for example, lined up to take pictures with her.
