Why Salma Hayek “Tried to Back Out” of ‘Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’

Salma Hayek’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut is already breaking the internet since the cover’s release early Tuesday, but the 58-year-old actress revealed that the bikini-packed photoshoot set at Mexico’s Cuixmala resort almost didn’t happen. Despite initially agreeing to star as one of SI Swimsuit’s 2025 cover models, Hayek shared that she had second thoughts when it came time to hop on a plane for the shoot. Struggling with “a very bad case of imposter syndrome,” the Desperado star revealed she tried on “over 100” bikinis to help her get mentally ready for her big moment.

Making a May 13 appearance on the Today show, Hayek admitted that she “still can’t believe” she was a part of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s 2025 cover stars. “I remember when I was young and hot, I used to look at this magazine. I wanted to see who was the new gorgeous model, the new girl of the moment. And it never crossed my mind that I could be on that cover because they didn’t look like me,” she explained. “My body’s not necessarily the model type and I never thought that was a possibility. And for it to happen when I’m 58? It’s really shocking.”

Despite initially accepting the gig, Hayek’s “imposter syndrome” made her regret agreeing to the bikini-filled shoot. “I said yes and then when it was time to do it, I tried to back out,” she told co-anchors Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin. “I said, ‘No,’ because the bathing suits never fit me, how am I gonna do this? There’s nothing my size. I always suffer.’”

In response, Sports Illustrated sent Hayek “200 bathing suits” to try on to pick which ones she felt most comfortable in. The Frida actress, who reveals she tried on over 100 styles, got several tailored for the photoshoot—only to have her luggage filled with the bikinis as well as her “creams, all my remedies to look good and mask everything, all my medications” go missing on the flight to Mexico.

Stuck wearing extra swimsuits that Sports Illustrated had on hand, many of which didn’t “fit perfectly,” Hayek admitted that her confidence took a dive. “I was really not confident and very nervous,” she recalled. “I showed up feeling, ‘What am I doing here?’”

However, a seemingly good omen—a whale jumping out behind her during the beachside shoot—put her at ease and got her “excited” for the day, which included posing topless in barely-there bikini bottoms and gold body chains while a soundtrack of Bad Bunny played in the background.

“All of a sudden I felt, ‘This is magical. This is my land. I’m 58, I’m doing this. My generation, especially Mexican women, we thought we were going to be dismissed at 35,” Hayek shared. “And I got so excited, I felt really free. I put on Bad Bunny, I started dancing, I loved it.”