Salma Hayek got her first break with Mexican TV's Theresa in 1989. It wasn't until 1994 that she first achieved international recognition with a fantastic performance in the cult classic Desperado. Since then she has established herself as one of Hollywood's leading ladies and, in her starring role in Frida, has finally landed an Oscar nomination.

Tell us about the Oscar nominations.
Very, very excited. I am very excited that we have six Oscar nominations. I am also excited that other friends of mine are nominated for other movies and for Felipe Fernandez del Paso who is the production designer in the movie. He is a very old friend. Felipe was on the set of Teresa - the TV show I did in Mexico. He would come and visit me and now we are going to the Oscars together!

Also the Mexican film that is nominated is made by the company who made the first film I ever did. Also there is Pedro Almodovar. It is so exciting because it was so tough this year - I thought a lot of people in our movie deserved a nomination. There were others who didn't get nominated but it was such a tough year that I was very scared the night before the nominations. There was so much fuss and anticipation in Mexico that I was really nervous.

There were other Hollywood players who wanted to make Frida. How did you win through?
It is interesting for me that you and most people find it fascinating that I beat other people. That was not actually a part of the amazing journey that I took, the process. What is amazing to me is that it got done at all. What's amazing to me is that I was able to convince the studio and someone like Julie Taymor to do this film and that I was able to convince all these big superstars to play small parts with no money and no perks. That we actually managed to put that script into the form that it ended up because there were so many possibilities for this story. That's what's fascinating to me.

It was hard making this movie, what kept you going?
Conviction. When you truly believe in something then you are going to put up your best fight. It's ok that doors were slammed in my face, I am grateful to that today. If it had come to me easily I wouldn't have learned all the things I have done or grown like I have - I know how to tell a story, I know how to put a movie together, I know where to find the money. We went through many possibilities of directors for the movie and sometimes I fought so that we didn't do the movie with another director.

Now the film's done what might replace that passion?
Don't underestimate my passion. I directed a movie but I can be passionate about things that might not be as meaningful. I will not try to replace it. You have a dream and think about it, you involve other people in the dream so that it becomes better, and then when it's done you put it aside and have the courage to dream a new one. I am not going to compare anything else with this, I will just enjoy whatever it is. That is one lesson I learned from Senora Frida Kahlo.

You had to paint for Frida; were you surprised how good you were?
I don't know if I am any good but I am so much better than I thought I was. I really didn't think I could paint. But I don't know that I am very talented I just know that I am more capable than I ever thought.

They are not in the screenwriting credits but to what extent were Rodrigo Garcia and Edward Norton involved?
The truth is that he (Edward) suggested it when we were in a bind. I knew he was very good. Rodrigo Garcia out of all the writers we had used before was, in my opinion, the one who could find their voices the best. But unfortunately he was directing a movie by the time that Julie came on board and Julie has very specific, unique visions of things and of course we needed a writer to adapt the story to what she saw. So Edward came on board.

Even on your deathbed as Frida you still managed to appear sexy; is that just something that comes naturally?
Sensuality has a lot to do with this movie. Some people think that looking one way, being skinny or dressing smart is sexy. The people that really are sexy are the people who enjoy life with all their senses. Frida had one eyebrow, a moustache and a leg shorter than the other one… bad teeth. I won't begin to start to describe Diego! He was a man who had gluttony for life. They enjoyed every moment and were very sensuous characters. They slept with everyone!

What was the toughest part of your performance?
There was one day when I could not say the line right. I'm dyslexic and I was tired. That was the scene we had the most trouble with. Sometimes I was really afraid of the really emotional scenes. The scene in the hospital we had to repeat many times because of the camera angles. That was exhausting. Then there were other scenes when I had to have a lot of energy that was difficult too. We had the casts for real. They would plaster me and sometimes they cut me when they would take them off…

How did Frida inspire you in your own life?
It started when I was around 14. The best way to summarise it is to say that she was so courageous. Of all the things that she was brave about I admire most her courage to be unique. She was bisexual at a very young age. Her paintings were not liked by many. She never changed her style whether people liked them or not. She had quite an unconventional relationship with Diego and I am sure people thought he was not the best thing. She did everything in life her own way.

The way she dressed, cooked - everything about her was unique. She didn't care about what anybody thought and never apologised for who she was. On the contrary, she celebrated some of the things that made her different. For example her moustache; which she exaggerates in the paintings and her eyebrows, which she also exaggerates. Sometimes she makes them into a symbol of freedom like a bird.