Salma Hayek took to Instagram to share a video of herself dancing in a red bikini, celebrating her 56th birthday. In the clip, the Frida actress danced on a speedboat while holding a summer hat. “Happy 56th birthday to me!!! [heart emoji]. Feliz cumpleaños #56 para mi!!!” she wrote in the caption, with the hashtag “Always grateful.”
The wife of François-Henri Pinault, a billionaire businessman she married in 2009, had her cell phone in hand, taking a video herself. She has been in Italy this summer with Pinault and their daughter Valentina, 14. She also received a birthday tribute from Naomi Campbell, who wrote on Instagram, “Happy Born day @salmahayek, best sense of humor ever, you captivate us all with your animated storytelling. Wishing you blessings on your special day #happybirthday.”
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The star stayed busy this summer filming the movie Without Blood, directed by Angelina Jolie. Several weeks of filming were spent in Rome. Hayek called Jolie one of the best directors she’s ever worked with a PEOPLE interview after she directed the Latin superstar in August.
“She is probably the best director I have ever worked with, and I have worked with some pretty good ones,” said Hayek, who has starred in over 60 movies. She admitted to hesitating about collaborating with Jolie. “There’s always hesitation: Am I putting my friendship in jeopardy right now?” she says. “And wow, I have a whole other level of respect [for her].”
“I’ve always loved her as a director, but I think this might be her best or one of the best,’” she added. Hayek told Deadline, “Angelina is the best director I’ve ever worked with. I absolutely loved working with her; enjoyed every second of it. It’s a tough piece but it was so delicious to come to work every single day. She is a genius and I think this might be her best movie yet. She did an amazing job, really.”
She continued, “I was completely blown away by her mind, her dedication, her technical knowledge, and her control of every aspect, as well as her vision which is so clear. She is so good with the actors, so passionate, and so focused. But most of all, I was blown away by her kindness to every single person on the set. I talked about this with my co-star Demián Bichir and we were saying, ‘Wow, she’s really something.’” The two became friends after co-starring in Marvel’s The Eternals in 2021.
The Oscar-winning actress was seen with Hayek during her 55th birthday celebrations last September, participating as friends pushed the Hollywood star’s face into a white cake while her friends and family chanted “Mordida.” Mexican birthday parties are traditionally marked by Mordida, which means “bite” in Spanish.
While the guests repeatedly yell, “Mordida!, it is common for the birthday person to have their hands pulled back while their face is pushed into a tres leches cake. “My brother @hayekstudio and me trying to teach Angie how to do the mexican mordida @angelinajolie Mi hermano sami y yo enseñandole a #anjelinajolie como se hace la mordida!” Hayek captioned her photo.
