MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexican actress Salma Hayek said Thursday she will portray artist Frida Kahlo in a biographical movie, ending a tug-of-war for the role among Hollywood divas.
Hayek beat out stars like Jennifer Lopez and Madonna, who had expressed interest in playing the Mexican artist. The Miramax movie, tentatively titled Frida Kahlo, will start filming this weekend at locations around Mexico City, Hayek told a news conference.
Kahlo died in 1954 at age 47 after a long series of illnesses. She was twice married to muralist Diego Rivera, who will be played by actor Alfred Molina.
Confined to a wheelchair for much of her life by injuries suffered in a trolley car accident, she nonetheless blazed a path as a painter and political activist. Her circle of friends included communist leader Leon Trotsky.
"Frida Kahlo was always ahead of her times. She had a great individuality," Hayek said. "She had a broken body but an indestructible spirit."
In her self-portraits, Kahlo brutally bared her physical and emotional suffering, showing herself wounded and bleeding or as a deer pierced with arrows.
Madonna reportedly expressed interest in the role as early as 1992.
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