Salma Hayek On Shooting 'Desperado' Love Scene: 'I Started To Sob'

Salma Hayek is opening up about shooting her intimate scene with Antonio Banderas for their 1995 movie "Desperado." Even though the actor was no less than a gentleman, she said she found the experience upsetting and ended up crying.

Hayek, 54, talked about the experience on Monday's episode of Dax Shepard and Monica Padman's weekly podcast, "Armchair Expert."

Looking back, Hayek said she was thrilled to bag one of the lead roles in "Desperado," which was the actress' first big Hollywood break. But she said there was no mention of a love scene between her character and Banderas' El Mariachi in the script of the film directed by Robert Rodriguez. She only learned about it after the production began.

Hayek said Rodriguez was her "bro" and his then-wife, producer Elizabeth Avellan, was her "best friend." Hayek agreed to do the scene on a closed set, in the presence of just four people.

"So, when we were going to start shooting, I started to sob," Hayek said, adding that she kept saying to the other three people, "I don't know that I can do it. I'm afraid."

"One of the things I was afraid of was Antonio...he was an absolute gentleman and so nice, and we're still super close friends, but he was very free. It scared me that for him, it was like nothing. I started crying, and he was like, 'Oh my God. You're making me feel terrible.' And I was so embarrassed that I was crying," said Hayek.

Hayek shared that Rodriguez and Banderas "were amazing" and that the director "never put pressure on me." Still, the moment was traumatic for her.

"I was not letting go of the towel. They would try to make me laugh. I would take it off for two seconds and start crying again. But we got through it. We did the best with what we could do at the time," she recalled.

The intimate scene is done in quick cuts in the movie, but at the time, she had been worried about her family's reaction. "When you're not you, then you can do it. But I keep thinking of my father and my brother. And are they going to see it? And are they going to get teased? Guys don't have that. Your father will be, 'Yeah! That's my son!'" Hayek explained.

Once the film was ready, Hayek took her father and brother to see it, but she said they left the theater during the scene and returned when it was over.

"You want your father to be nothing but proud of you," she said.

Hayek and Banderas went on to team up for more films like "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over" and "Puss in Boots." They also continue to be friends.

In January 2020, she posted a black-and-white photo of them from "Desperado" and wrote on Instagram: "After 20 years of knowing you, it’s great to see that you’re still thriving, congratulations on your Oscar nomination @antoniobanderas."

Banderas got his first-ever best actor Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Salvador Mallo in the Spanish film "Pain and Glory." The golden statuette was ultimately picked up by Joaquin Phoenix for his critically acclaimed performance in "Joker."

Even though Banderas didn't take home the trophy, he was honored with the International Star Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in 2020. It was presented by Hayek.