Why Salma Hayek Is Hesitant to Take a Part on 'The White Lotus' (Exclusive)

And, no, it has nothing to do with Mike White's writing!

Salma Hayek says she has a "fantasy" about working with famed writer and producer Mike White. But whether it's to join his award-winning HBO show, The White Lotus, well, that's easier said than done.

In an exclusive sneak peek of her interview set to air Wednesday on Kelly Ripa's SiriusXM Let's Talk Off Camera podcast, the 56-year-old actress recalled fond memories of working with White, who wrote the role of Beatriz Blanco specifically for Hayek in the 2017 drama, Beatriz at Dinner, directed by Miguel Arteta and also starring John Lithgow and Connie Britton. 

"Oh my god, I love him so much," says Hayek in an interview conducted last month and prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, which began on July 13.

After Ripa tells her she has a "fantasy" about the Frida star acting on The White Lotus, Hayek says she would "absolutely" play a role if he wrote a part for her.

"Absolutely," she says. "I would do anything with Mike. I have a fantasy of acting with Mike. We're so good together."

She then explains what makes them so compatible, which probably can't be too difficult for such an hermosa y carismática acrtiz.

"Oh, he's a fantastic actor. We're very funny together," she explains. "He's a very, very dear friend. I am obsessed with what he does with sound and how he combines it with images."

That being said, there's a hesitation on her part to join the likes of a White Lotus, which is officially returning to HBO with season 3.

"It's hard for me to do series because I'm still very present with my daughter [Valentina, 14] and my husband [French businessman François-Henri Pinault] and my dogs, and the house," she explains. "And so I can't, even though I'm trying to carve out more space, I can't like say, 'OK, bye. I'm gonna do a series. See you in three months, in four months.' I just can't."

Back in 2017, White spoke to Parade and opened up about why he tailored the role of Beatriz for Hayek.

"Early on, I had a great meeting with Salma. She was a fan of Enlightened. She has a lot of great cultural and political opinions, and it seemed like we were very like-minded," he told the outlet. "It was a lot of fun. I left the meeting thinking it would be really cool to write something for her. Then I started trying to figure out what that would be, and what that character would be. Salma is such a force of life. She plays a lot of spitfire characters. I thought it would be really interesting to have her dress down into something more simple and reserved, and to do something different. Obviously she is capable, and a great actress."

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