Salma Hayek defended Hillary ‘Hilaria’ Baldwin in the midst of her Spanish heritage scandal, even admitting that she was ‘honored’ to learn that the star has adopted a background similar to hers as her alter ego.
In an interview with Andy Cohen on his Radio Andy show, Cohen asked the actress for her opinion on the matter while discussing her previous role as Alec Baldwin’s girlfriend on 30 Rock.
“We all lie a little bit,” said Hayek, 54, who is of Mexican and Lebanese descent. ‘She makes my friend happy. She tricked me because she is a good mother, and she has five of them. And, you know, I don’t care.
‘We all lied a little’: Salma Hayek defended Hillary ‘Hilaria’ Baldwin amid her Spanish heritage scandal, even admitting that she was ‘honored’ to learn that the star had adopted a similar past to her as her alter ego
‘I’m sorry, I don’t want to betray or hurt anyone’s feelings, and I don’t know if it’s right or wrong. I’m not going to judge anyone just because of this thing. And I feel honored that someone wants to be your alter ego, to be like something that is similar to my roots.
“I am proud to see inspired people. Because, you know that I’m Mexican, Lebanese, but my grandparents, my maternal ancestors are Spanish. I think she is smart because she wants to be Spanish. We’re fine, you know? ‘
‘You’re cool!’ Andy said, laughing.
‘It’s a bizarre story, but don’t we all create our own character in life? … I dont care. She is not a bad person ‘, she said, adding that Hilaria was’ a good person, a good mother and a good wife, she makes my friend happy, she is very kind to me and that’s all that matters to me. ‘
Controversy: Hilaria Baldwin was criticized for her alleged Spanish origin (photo with husband Alec in March 2020)
“And Spaniards are cool,” said Andy.
‘And Spaniards are cool! I don’t blame you for choosing that, ‘said Salma.
The controversy began last year after a viral topic on Twitter made accusations about how the yoga guru and mother of five had been misrepresenting his past for years.
Posted by an anonymous user, the tweets started, ‘You have to admire Hilaria Baldwin’s commitment to her long decade of life, where she pretends to be a Spaniard.’
Lights, camera, action: Hayek played Baldwin’s girlfriend in the hit comedy series 30 Rock
It was liked 20,000 times and led dozens of people to find examples of Baldwin with a Spanish accent, a stark contrast to her childhood in Boston, where she was known as Hillary and considered white by her classmates.
Several videos of Hilaria’s latest TV appearances have reappeared showing her commitment to the Spanish accent, including a segment from the Today program during which she apparently forgot the English word for ‘cucumber’.
Several former classmates from Hilaria also came forward to confirm that she was indeed raised in Weston, Massachusetts, by parents of teachers – and did not have a Spanish accent during her childhood and adolescence.
Days after the claims were brought to light, Hilaria shared a series of videos on Instagram in which she addressed the controversy.
At first, she denied the allegations, saying it was just ‘fake Twitter accounts accusing me of a fake ID!’ but later she was forced to step back and reveal more about her Massachusetts past, after thousands of comments.
Scandal: the whole controversy started last year, after a viral topic on Twitter made accusations about how the yoga guru and mother of five had been misrepresenting his past for years