Can you imagine From Dusk Till Dawn without Salma Hayek? We can't.
However, as Hayek shared on Monday, Feb. 8's all-new E! News Daily Pop, she almost lost her role in the 1996 horror action film. According to Hayek, due to her fear of snakes, she initially refused to dance with the giant yellow snake.
"I have a phobia," Hayek recalled to E!'s Justin Sylvester. "It was not on the script. I agreed to the movie and then, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino decided that the dance is with the snake on me."
Per Hayek, after she refused to dance with the snake, the director and writer were prepared to replace her with someone who would. She added, "They said, 'Ok then, we'll just go to another actor that wants your part.'"
Rather than give up the role, Hayek chose to conquer her fear. She noted, "Frankly, I really needed to pay the rent."
Hayek went on to reveal that she did some research, which helped her overcome her fear.
"In some culture, the snake represented—I started doing research—your inner power," the Frida actress explained. "And my whole thing that I brainwashed myself into doing this was about dancing with my own inner power."
On the topic of movies, Hayek reflected on the lessons learned while filming her latest film, Bliss. For those unfamiliar with the plot, Bliss follows Owen Wilson's character as he begins to learn that he may be living in a simulation.
"This is why the film is great. I think people did that. They created their own bliss through technology, social media, movies, television shows," Hayek noted. "It became the escape. Do you remember a time when you asked yourself so many times, is this for real? What is real?"
She concluded, "The movie is super timely."
Catch the full exclusive chat above.
Bliss is out now on Prime Video.