Salma Hayek, now Salma Pinault, at the New York premiere of Grown Ups

A prolific actress, producer and director, in both film and television, Salma Hayek is now also a wife and mother, juggling work with her personal life and choosing her projects accordingly. Funnyman Adam Sandler had been looking to work with Salma Hayek for some time, and the opportunity finally presented itself in his latest film, Grown Ups, in which she plays his wife. As Roxanne, a glamorous fashion designer who’s in for a bit of culture shock when Lenny (Sandler) brings his family to the lake house in his hometown, in order to reminisce and reconnect with his childhood best friends, Salma Hayek gets to show a comedic side that fans of the actress haven’t gotten to see on film before.

Now that you’re a wife and mother, how do you see your career, and why did you say yes to this movie?

I said yes to this movie because, from the beginning, I was an Adam Sandler fan and I really liked his movies. Now, of course, the main focus of my life is my family, and that does change things and the choices that you make. You want to do movies that your children can watch, and that your children can have fun at and enjoy the experience of shooting. It doesn’t get better than this movie. I love the movie. I’m proud of it. I can’t wait for [my daughter] Valentina to see it.

This is the first time you’re using Pinault as your last name. Is it true that your daughter Valentina had something to do with that?

At the beginning of the film, when she was very little, my chair said ‘Salma Hayek.’ She said, ‘What does it say there?’ I said, ‘Salma Hayek,’ and she said, ‘Where is Pinault?,’ because her last name is Pinault. In France, my husband is much more famous than me, so everybody calls me Madame Pinault, and she’s much more used to that. I realised that she felt left out. And, I also have two children that I inherited from his previous marriage. I like it. It just brings the family together.

How did Valentina react when you told her you were going to use Pinault?

She thinks it’s the least I could do, trust me!

How are you balancing motherhood and work? Did you bring her to the set?

We all brought children to the set. Adam makes it the dream environment to bring children. They are so highly entertained that you’re nervous when you get back home because you wonder how you are going to entertain your child. They have all kinds of toys and things for them to play with. Everybody had children of the same age. She loved coming to work on the set.

What have you given up to spend time with family?

I don’t have a lot of time anymore. Your social life suffers a little bit, definitely. Every parent will tell you that. At one point in my life, I was very involved with social causes. I’m still involved, but now I have a family and it’s important to me. I have to do this for myself, but there’s just only so much you can do sometimes.

What was it like working with these guys?

It was great that I got this movie because I love comedy and I loved working with everyone in the film. It doesn’t get better than this. I’ve always wanted to do comedy and I love this movie, and I’m glad that it was the first big comedy I’ve done.

What was your experience like on 30 Rock?

I loved it and I’m really grateful I did that because it was wonderful training for this. Alec (Baldwin) likes to improvise a lot, and it’s really exciting when you have good chemistry with an actor and good communication. You build things, as they go on. It’s magical. It was like nirvana. It was going to be one episode, then two episodes, then three. Then, after six episodes, I was tempted to go back, but I had to stop.

How does being a parent contribute to finding the comedy?

I love this film because I think the audience is going to be able to add themselves to our experience and bond with us because being a parent is one of the most common, shared experiences, and is something that is so important. Every single character in this movie really cares about their family, and they’re all so different. I think that the audience is really going to identify with everyone. Adam has done a large variety of films, but I think women are going to love this one because they’re going to identify with us and our conflicts in our own marriages, and our relationships with our children. I really think that it was important that we all had a similar experience, as actors, because we bring that to the table.

Do your friends always want to know about your Hollywood lifestyle?

It’s very strange, but I don’t have anyone like that (in my life). I have one friend that I’ve had since I was born, and she’s from Coatzacoalcos. She’s not really impressed or interested in the actor’s life. My family isn’t either. It’s not really like that. I know some people like that, but my close circle is not impressed at all. Sometimes, I wish they were a little more impressed with what I did and who I met. They’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, whatever. Can you pass me the salt?’ It’s very good for me, I guess.

Do you know what’s next for you?

I have a movie with a director named Emir Kusturica. He’s one of my favourite directors. Johnny Depp is in it, and we’re going to be shooting next year. It’s an amazing character and a dream job, as an actress. Also, we’re talking about something with Kevin (James) that I’m excited about. It’s an action comedy. There’s going to be a little bit of everything in my career, in the future.