Once more with feline..
Salma Hayek lets the cat out of the bag on what’s in the latest Puss in Boots movie and what Antonio Banderas is really like
She’s funny, sassy and a cat. I wish I could have her moves SALMA HAYEK ON PLAYING KITTY SOFTPAWS
me my start, my very first screen test. We’ve been friends for more than 20 years now and, with this business, you have to go through living all over the place as he has never stopped working. To stay friends like that for so long is great. He is like family to me.”
“We waited more than a decade to do another one of these movies so it’s fantastic that it finally happened. We are very good friends and I see him in between working with him of course but it’s good to know that we are both healthy and still working.
“We know each other so well that sometimes we improvised as Puss In Boots and Kitty Softpaws. We both just love the characters so much.”
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish is very different from Salma’s steamy early roles and her award-winning performance as troubled artist Frida Kahlo.
She said: “It’s a wonderful family movie with lots of adventure, that is very funny, beautiful to look at with incredible, cutting-edge animation.
“It also has something nostalgic. Most importantly, it has a lot of heart and talks about interesting things like making sure you appreciate life.” Her character may be called Softpaws but she gives Antonio’s Puss a hard time.
Salma said: “I just love her as a character. What’s not to love? She’s funny, sassy and she’s a cat. I love cats. I just wish I could have her moves.
“I was a little nervous as I had such a good experience the first time. The movie did really well and so I had high expectations. But it was fantastic this time too – in fact, I think it’s so much better because Kitty is sassier, bossier and her stunts are even greater.
“One of the things I love the most about this one is the locations. I know we don’t go to them in real life but the amount of imagination, exuberance and originality is incredible.”
The two stars’ packed schedules meant that they were not always able to record together. But they have a chemistry that transcends that.
Salma said: “Even if he was not in the recording booth I could hear Antonio as I know exactly how he’d say the lines and the different versions.
“I could feel his energy in the room as we’ve been collaborating for so long.”
She revealed that Kitty and Puss are getting along better than in the first film. They are still bickering as before but I think they like each other a lot more now than last time.
“But the biggest difference now is there is a third character called Perrito. So the adventure is now between the three of us, this little family of three lonely people coming together.”
Perrito is voiced by aspiring Mexican-american actor, What We Did In The Shadows star Harvey Guillen.
Salma said: “I didn’t get to work with Harvey but his character completely stole my heart when I saw the movie. He’s so sweet.”
Salma is married to French luxury goods billionaire Francois-henry Pinault. They have a 16-year-old daughter, Valentina Paloma. She loves swimming and meditating and prefers fresh juice to a crash diet.
She is sanguine about growing older. And she said: “I worry less about some things now but I find myself more anxious about little things.”