Salma Hayek covers Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, on newsstands May 17. (Ben Watts/SPORTS ILLUSTRATED)
As Hayek revealed she had a "very bad case of impostor syndrome," she continued to reflect on how she never imagined she would appear on the cover.
"I still can't believe it," Hayek added. "I remember when I was young and hot, I used to look at this magazine. I wanted to see who was the new gorgeous model, the new girl of the moment. And it never crossed my mind that I could be on that cover because they didn't look like me. My body's not necessarily the model type and I never thought that was a possibility. And for it to happen when I'm 58? It's really shocking."
She expressed similar sentiments in her interview with the outlet itself, saying, "I remember when I was young, a long, long time ago, I was always excited to see the Swimsuit Issue of Sports Illustrated, and [thinking] ‘Who’s going to be in it?’ Of course, I didn’t look like a model, so it never crossed my mind that one day I would be in it."
Salma Hayek attends the "Corps Et Ames" Exhibition at the Bourse De Commerce Pinault Collection on March 4, 2025 in Paris. (Luc Castel/Getty Images)
"If somebody had told me I was gonna be in it at 58, I would have sent them to the madhouse, but the world has changed, and that’s exciting."
Hayek continued, "I feel so fortunate that I am part of a generation that has been able to really experience very tangible change. I could retire, but I don’t want to miss out on this time. I fought for it, you know, and I’ve been part of it, and I think it's really remarkable that a magazine like Sports Illustrated [Swimsuit] says that it’s O.K., maybe even cool, to be
