Salma Hayek Talks Being Drafted for the Olympics at 9 Years Old

Salma Hayek has had a very successful career as an actress. But the 56-year-old came very close to being an Olympic star. While appearing on NBC News' Sunday Today with Willie Geist, Hayek revealed that she was drafted for the Olympics at the age of 9. 

"I didn't want a childhood. I just wanted to do gymnastics," she said in the interview that will air on Sunday, Feb. 5. Hayek went on to talk about how she spent her summer vacation training in the gym.  "I had to stay in Mexico City, in that kind of like a boarding situation where they teach you school but you trained 6 hours, and they overlook everything— what you eat, how you sleep, everything," she said. "But my father decided for me that I wasn't going to have a childhood [if I continued with gymnastics] And, of course, that they were going to take his child away at nine…he thought it was horrific. And it took me a long time to forgive him. I really resented that decision."

There's no telling if Hayek would have won a gold medal in gymnastics had she continued to train. But he career in Hollywood has been strong as she has earned an Academy Award nomination, a Golden Globe nomination and she's won an Emmy for Outstanding Directing in Children's Special for The Maldonado Miracle in 2004. She is currently promoting her new movie, Magic Mike's Last Dance which also stars Channing Tatum. 

While appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Pinault revealed that she was "nearly killed" during a lap dance scene. "You know, this one part that's not in it where I'm upside down, and my legs had to be somewhere. But upside down, one loses sense of direction, and I didn't do what I was supposed to do, so in the rehearsal, I went like, head down, almost hit my head," Hayek said. 

"He [Tatum] held on to my pants, but I was really concerned because my pants were going away, and I couldn't remember if I had underwear or not in this moment. So, instead of putting my hands to protect my head, I just held onto the pants. He's like, 'Put your hands up,' and I'm like, 'No, no, no, no'" she continued adding, "Everybody came in, and kind of took me away from him, and he said, 'What's wrong with you?' I said, 'What's wrong with me? You nearly killed me!'"