We don't know about you guys, but we can't get enough stories about celebs' auditions from back in the day. Especially if it comes with a funny punchline. And after hearing about Salma's attempt to snag the role of Captain Niobe on The Matrix, this one just might top the list.
Hayek sat down with the Pinkett Smith ladies on the Red Table Talk to chat, and the conversation quickly veered to Salma and Jada's first encounter. The two actresses met while they were competing for the very same role as Captain Niobe. And while fans of the sci-fi film know that Jada eventually scored the gig, Hayek's attempts to grab the part proved to be some hilarious memories worth revisiting.
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As far as Salma saw it, Niobe would've been hers if it weren't for the pesky "physical test" that stood in her way. "We had jumped through many hurdles and screen testing and many auditions, and they brought these stunt coordinators from Asia, and it was the physical test," Salma recalled. But was the budding actress up for the challenge?
Hayek quickly realized she was in over her head. "Now, I'm flexible, I'm agile - but I'm lazy," the Hollywood figure laughed with Red Table Talk's Pinkett Smith. And before Salma knew it, she was getting instructions thrown her way. "They said to me, 'You have to run!' I go, 'To where?!'" Hayek comically reenacted, while her host cackled along. "'Around, you have to run around!'
"I couldn't even go around the room once, I was like [panting]," she continued. As if the embarrassment wasn't enough, Salma then saw the competition. The actress remembered feeling her chances of getting the role plummet after seeing Pinkett Smith's audition. "In comes Jada. Mean, lean, sexy machine. Oh my god, she was so good!” The Roads Not Taken actress admitted.
“It was so embarrassing. She was so fit; she was so focused; she was so disciplined; she was so capable; she was so gracious," Hayek added. "I just looked at this woman, and I thought to myself, 'That's who I want to be when I grow up.'" Safe to say, this was one story worth the walk (not run) down memory lane. You can catch more Red Table Talk shenanigans here.
