Actress Salma Hayek has revealed that disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein forced her to include a lesbian sex scene in her film Frida.
Ms Hayek, who was nominated for an Oscar for her iconic portrayal of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo in the 2002 film, wrote in the New York Times about her shocking experiences of Weinstein – who has faced dozens of allegations of sexual assault and harassment over the past few months.
The actress and filmmaker alleged that she rejected a number of advances from Weinstein – who attempted to get her to take a shower with him, perform oral sex, and get naked with another woman.
Salma Hayek (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
However, after her relationship with Weinstein turned sour, the actress alleges that he used her passion project film to force her to get naked.
She revealed: “He told me he was going to shut down the film because no one would want to see me in that role.”
Ms Hayek added: “He offered me one option to continue. He would let me finish the film if I agreed to do a sex scene with another woman. And he demanded full-frontal nudity.
“He had been constantly asking for more skin, for more sex…. it was clear to me he would never let me finish this movie without him having his fantasy one way or another. There was no room for negotiation.”
Salma Hayek (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)
She added: “I had to say yes. By now so many years of my life had gone into this film.
“We were about five weeks into shooting, and I had convinced so many talented people to participate. How could I let their magnificent work go to waste?
“I had asked for so many favors, I felt an immense pressure to deliver and a deep sense of gratitude for all those who did believe in me and followed me into this madness. So I agreed to do the senseless scene.”
The actress continued: “I arrived on the set the day we were to shoot the scene that I believed would save the movie.
“And for the first and last time in my career, I had a nervous breakdown: My body began to shake uncontrollably, my breath was short and I began to cry and cry, unable to stop, as if I were throwing up tears.
“Since those around me had no knowledge of my history of Harvey, they were very surprised by my struggle that morning. It was not because I would be naked with another woman. It was because I would be naked with her for Harvey Weinstein. But I could not tell them then.”
Salma Hayek (Photo by Ari Perilstein/Getty Images for FIJI Water)
She added: “My mind understood that I had to do it, but my body wouldn’t stop crying and convulsing.
“At that point, I started throwing up while a set frozen still waited to shoot. I had to take a tranquilizer, which eventually stopped the crying but made the vomiting worse. As you can imagine, this was not sexy, but it was the only way I could get through the scene.”
Ms Hayek continued: “By the time the filming of the movie was over, I was so emotionally distraught that I had to distance myself [completely].”
Actress and model Cara Delevingne previously opened up about her shocking homophobic encounters with Weinstein.
Cara Delevingne (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
Delevingne revealed the disgraced film mogul told her she would have no future in Hollywood if she is open about her sexuality and relationships with other women.
Writing on Instagram, she said: “When I first started to work as an actress, i was working on a film and I received a call from Harvey Weinstein asking if I had slept with any of the women I was seen out with in the media.
“It was a very odd and uncomfortable call…. I answered none of his questions and hurried off the phone but before I hung up, he said to me that If I was gay or decided to be with a woman especially in public that I’d never get the role of a straight woman or make it as an actress in Hollywood.”
Of a meeting with Weinstein, she said: “When I arrived I was relieved to find another woman in his room and thought immediately I was safe. He asked us to kiss and she began some sort of advances upon his direction.
“I was terrified that this sort of thing had happened to so many women I know but no one had said anything because of fear.”
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