Actress Salma Hayek has been a part of several highly acclaimed movies, but in this list, From Dusk Till Dawn can easily be one of the most iconic performances of her career. This cult classic was written by the iconic filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, and with its wild mix of crime, action, and horror, it pushed boundaries.
But what many fans don’t know is that Hayek faced a personal nightmare while filming one of the movie’s most iconic scenes. And surprisingly, Tarantino had a very unusual trick up his sleeve to get her through it – one that involved pop icon Madonna.
Quentin Tarantino used Madonna to push Salma Hayek into a terrifying role
Salma Hayek‘s fiery performance in From Dusk Till Dawn has become legendary. But many might not know that the path to that unforgettable role wasn’t easy. The actress detailed the same in an interview via GQ and revealed that one of the movie’s most iconic scenes forced her to confront her deepest fears – and it almost cost her the role.
The movie, written by Quentin Tarantino, is known for its standout moments, one of which was Hayek’s hypnotic dance as Santanico Pandemonium with a massive snake wrapped around her. And to make matters more interesting, in real life, the actress was terrified of snakes.
She added, “I read the script, and there was no snake,” and just weeks before filming began, Tarantino told her, “Oh, by the way, you’ll be dancing with a snake.” The thought of coming across the snake terrified her big time – something she called her worst nightmare.
She tried to push past the fear, and in the meantime, also tried to convince the team to stick with the original script. But the director had another strategy and flatly told her that if she couldn’t do it, the role might go to someone else – possibly Madonna.
Whether or not the pop icon was truly in the mix, the director’s comment lit a fire under her. Moreover, she also didn’t want to lose the role, especially not to someone else. So, she made the bold choice and trained herself to go into a trance, just so she could get through the scene.
She obviously managed to pull the scene off, and the result is one of the most iconic moments in cult movie history. And similarly, it managed to earn $59 million worldwide.
Another case of Quentin Tarantino’s extreme directing
Tarantino is famous for his intense directing style, but it hasn’t always gone well for the actors that he works with. While Hayek talked about the pressure she faced during From Dusk Till Dawn, she’s not the only actress who had a rather tough time with the director. In fact, actress Uma Thurman also went through a disturbing experience while filming Kill Bill.
All the way back in 2018, during the height of the #MeToo movement, she revealed that the director pushed her to perform a dangerous stunt herself. What was that stunt? Well! She had to drive an old car for a scene, despite her concerns about its safety. And she was right, as the car crashed and she was left with lasting injuries.
She added in an interview via Entertainment Weekly, “Quentin and I had an enormous fight, and I accused him of trying to kill me.” The situation was quite bad, and even the director admitted that he made a mistake and said via Deadline that it was the biggest regret of his entire career.
Still, it looks like time has healed some wounds. And despite what happened, Thurman has said she would be open to working with Tarantino again. But this situation only points out the fact that Quentin Tarantino will go to all lengths to ensure his movies look as real as possible.
You can currently rent From Dusk Till Dawn in the USA on Apple TV. Moreover, Kill Bill is available to stream on Fubo TV.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
