Salma Hayek will forever be grateful for the support she received from Penélope Cruz when she first tried to make it in Hollywood

Salma Hayek will forever be grateful for the support she received from Penélope Cruz when she first tried to make it in Hollywood in the 1990s.

The 58-year-old actress enjoyed career success in her native Mexico, namely in the title role in telenovela in 'Teresa' which ran for two years and 125 episodes, before she made the move to Los Angeles in 1991.

Salma can remember how difficult it was to land roles as a Latino actress during the decade but she was lucky to have Penelope - who moved from Spain to America to make it in Hollywood - to lean on, and vice versa.

In an interview with Italian publication IO Donna, Salma said: "In the 1990s, there were no roles for Latinos, I had to fight for every opportunity. It's true, luckily I was able to count on a community of extraordinary women at my side. Penélope Cruz ... We were refuge and strength for each other.

"Female solidarity has been my strength, my inspiration, my safe space. Without this network, I don't know if I would have had the same resilience. I think that friends are food for the soul, you learn from each other's courage."

Salma's first big screen roles saw her star opposite Antonio Banderas in Robert Rodriguez's 1995 action film 'Desperado' and playing a vampire in Rodriguez's cult horror film 'From Dusk till Dawn' (1996), which also starred George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Juliette Lewis and Harvey Keitel.

It was the role of surrealist painter Frida Kahlo in Julie Taymor's biographical film 'Frida' - released in 2002 - that earned her critical acclaim and recognition and her performance made her the first Mexican actress to receive a Best Actress Oscar nomination.