Walk of Fame honoree Salma Hayek dedicates her star to fans

Los Angeles, US, Nov 19 (EFE).- Salma Hayek unveiled her Hollywood Walk of Fame star Friday, dedicating the honor to her fans who encouraged her to follow her dreams.

Hayek wore a black dress with a deep neckline and silver trim on the top to receive her Hollywood star in Los Angeles.

She said it was a day of immense joy for her and “healing” for “terrifying” episodes from the past in the US.

The actress recalled how a knife-wielding man attacked her and a couple of her friends on Hollywood Boulevard about two years.

“Why am I telling you this? Because every time I think of Hollywood Boulevard, that is what I remember. And the truth is that that night when I went home I said to myself: ‘What am I doing here? Nobody wants me to be here. They almost killed me,” she said.

“I remember once I went to a movie and someone hit me on the back of my chair and said: ‘Mexican, do not you sit in front of me. Go back to your country. Someone grabbed my arm, took me out and said: I am not going to line up behind a Mexican woman,” she said.

Hayek also recalled how she was told she would never find a place in the US and suggested to return home and do soap operas.

“But I stayed here.”

“I want to tell you, my dear fans, that you gave me the courage to stay here. All Latinos in the United States knew who I was. They understood that I had come with dreams like them. These fans have been with me for 37 years. They gave me the courage,” Hayek said.

The actress said all people are of “stardust.”

“When you all see my star here, I want you to know that since you are all in my heart, part of your stardust is here on this site. You are also part of this star.”

The Oscar nominee for best actress for “Frida” (2002) will premiere “House of Gucci” by Ridley Scott next week.

Adam Sandler said Hayek was “one of the best actresses of our generation” and appreciated the bond, which existed since they worked together.

“(Hayek is) an incredible person and with his feet on the ground,” he said.

Oscar-winning Chloé Zhao compared Hayek to her character Ajak in “Eternals,” who is “a leader, a mother, and a healer.”

“Salma is a person of incredible talent, depth and compassion. She is a woman brave enough to open her own path.”

Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti said the Mexican actress “is an angel in the city.”

“She is a representation of our dreams, our stories and our hope,” he said. EFE

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