Hollywood on screen has long prized female stars’ beauty over their intelligence. Off screen, matters are little better according to actress Salma Hayek, who has claimed the film industry treats women like monkeys and are shocked when they talk.
Hayek, the actress and producer, has told how beautiful women who also speak with intelligence cause real anger among “macho” film executives, who swiftly move to get rid of them. Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival during the Kering Women in Motion series, Hayek said: “There is this thing that it’s true that maybe if you’re pretty you can get parts easier.
“But it is really violent to assume that if you are pretty, you are stupid.”
She added that once women started speaking their mind and seeking equal pay, they were no longer wanted.
“If they realise that you’re smart, the anger is really multiplied,” she said. “It’s almost like they’ve said, ‘OK, get a monkey.’ And then the monkey talks and they go ‘Oh my God, the monkey talks, what do we do?’”
She said executives initially think: “‘Oh maybe this will make money? Maybe this is interesting? We have a talking monkey!’
“But then one day they catch the monkey doing algebra, and they say: ‘It’s time to get rid of the monkey.’
“There is a natural force they try to suppress.”
Hayek is among numerous high-profile actresses who have spoken out about their treatment in Hollywood and the issue of equal pay, including Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence. Hayek said she had noticed an improvement in recent years, as executives realise female audiences could help their bank balance. “Executives are listening like they always listen: to their money,” she said. “They are very interested in this. They are beginning to realise and now they’re desperate to find women.”
