![How Salma Hayek Pulled Off Cannes Mariachi Stunt](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/salma_hayek_mariachi_band_cannes_-_photo_illo_-_getty_-_h_2017.jpg?w=1296&h=730&crop=1)
It took a determined Salma Hayek just a few hours to coordinate a Mexican sing-along surprise to close the May 23 Cannes 70th anniversary gala dinner. With more than 100 stars in attendance (Leonardo DiCaprio, jury members Will Smith and Jessica Chastain, past Palme d’Or winner Jane Campion), the bash already was a memorable one when, after midnight, Guillermo del Toro led out a mariachi band.
At Table 46, Hayek, Alejandro G. Inarritu, Alfonso Cuaron, Emmanuel Lubezki, Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal sang songs from “Cielito Lindo” to “Happy Birthday” in Spanish. Hayek first got the idea earlier that day at the anniversary photo call, when she became emotional while hanging out with her Mexican colleagues. She and husband Francois-Henri Pinault reached out and booked Mariachi El Sol from Paris, flew them to Marseille, then had them driven to Cannes. Hayek also brought in Tequila Ocho from Nice, “my gift to [festival director] Thierry [Fremaux],” she told THR as the music raged on into the wee hours.
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This story first appeared in the May 31 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
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