Mrs. Pinault is on fire! A hotter-than-ever Salma Hayek opened up to Net-a-Porter’s The Edit in its latest issue about her power marriage to billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault, the CEO of luxury conglomerate Kering, and why their union is a match made in Hollywood heaven.
The actress, 48, revealed how the relationship was initially a surprise to many. “I wasn’t a fashionista. I was surrounded by fashionistas who made fun of me because I didn’t care,” Hayek said. “And when I started going out with François, they said, ‘How did you of all people land this guy? You don’t care about fashion.’ And I said, ‘You know what? That was probably refreshing.'” (Kering’s impressive portfolio includes high-fashion brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Balenciaga, and Alexander McQueen.)
The couple first met in 2006, welcomed their daughter Valentina in 2007, and split briefly in 2008. (During that time, Pinault conceived a child with classic supermodel Linda Evangelista, who was rewarded tens of thousands of dollars of child support per month to care for their son Augustin James, now 8.) On Valentine’s Day 2009, the glamorous, jet-setting couple married in a romantic Parisian ceremony, and most recently celebrated their sixth anniversary.
Hayek shared the keys to her successful marriage in her latest interview, saying it was important to find a husband who “supports” and has “more balls than you.” The actress mused: “They should never make you feel bad or insecure.”
Indeed, she found that in Pinault, 52. “He is kind, too,” the stars said. “He’s not a bully.”
She shared one simple guideline when it comes to marriage. “You’re going to laugh… Find the right guy!” Hayek exclaimed. “That is the key, and it’s so hard because there are so few of them. It’s very important that they support you. They should never make you feel bad or insecure. What’s important in a marriage is generosity, thoughtfulness, thinking of the other person all of the time… Spend quality time together. And don’t forget over the years.”
With her husband’s support, Hayek has a whopping five movies coming out in 2015: Everly, The Prophet, The Tale of Tales, Septembers of Shiraz, and How To Make Love Like an Englishman. “You will see some of the best work of my life this year, because I’ve had the opportunity; because [the directors] gave me the roles,” she told The Edit.
Hayek, who stuns in her latest spread, also made it a point to show support for her fellow working moms in Hollywood, noting that women tend to be harder on themselves than men.
“We’re constantly scrutinized, so we learn to be hard on ourselves because everybody is hard on us, even our children, because we are the ones who are there all the time, providing that attention,” she reflected. “In order to be considered a good wife or mother, and in the workplace, the expectations are so high.”
Hayek then name-dropped some of her counterparts in the industry whose work she most admires. “I have so many! Marion Cotillard is extraordinary,” Hayek said of the Oscar nominee, along with Meryl Streep, Jennifer Aniston, and many more top actresses. “But then Penélope [Cruz] has always been my hero and my friend. We’ve known each other for at least 20 years.” (As previously reported by Us, the old pals recently reunited with fellow A-lister Tom Cruise for a fun dinner in London.)
To see the full interview with Salma Hayek Pinault in The Edit, go to www.Net-a-porter.com.
