Salma Hayek Says She's Nobody's Barbie

Salma Hayek is married (to Louis Vuitton owner Francois-Henri Pinault) and has a four-year-old daughter, Valentina, but she does not want anyone to mistake her for a trophy wife or demure mother. The actress, who made several appearances at Fashion Week and has been making the rounds promoting her new movie, Puss in Boots, which co-stars Antonio Banderas, is proud of her heritage, her career decisions and fierce, feisty attitude.

Despite the fact that Pinault is a billionaire, Hayek touts her financial independence as a hard-working actress. "I work hard, I make my own living and I love it," she told Redbook. "I like having financial independence. I don't ever want to have to depend on anyone completely. But when I have troubles sometimes, its nice to have someone there to help."

Hayek, who will play the queen of a drug cartel in an upcoming Oliver Stone film, said the director asked if she had become "soft" after becoming a mother. "Yes, but I can be the devil if I need to, because after all, I'm an actress," she said in response. She added that her husband, despite his expertise on couture fashion, does not have control of what she wears: "Like I said, I'm still a Mexican. I like to play fashion with him, but I'm nobody's Barbie."