penelope cruz y tom cruise

The Truth About Penelope Cruz's Relationship With Tom Cruise

From Cameron Diaz to fellow Scientologist Elisabeth Moss , Tom Cruise has been linked to quite a few A-list actresses over the years. That being said, between all the rumored romances and supposed flings, Cruise has had several long-term relationships — three of which resulted in marriage. In 1987, Cruise tied the knot for the first time with actress Mimi Rogers . By 1990, the two had decided to go their separate ways. Ever the charmer, Cruise wasn't a single man for long. The actor and Nicole Kidman said their "I dos" on Christmas Eve the same year Cruise and Rogers split. Alas, that marriage wasn't destined to last either with  Kidman and Cruise calling it quits in 2001 . And of course, how could we forget Cruise's ill-fated marriage to Katie Holmes ?

In the years between his split from Kidman and his marriage to Holmes, Cruise dated another Hollywood A-lister who very well could have ended up with a ring on that finger: Penelope Cruz. The two dated for three years from 2001 until 2004. While Cruise didn't hop up on any couches to profess his love for Cruz, their time together was still pretty eventful. Here's the truth about Penelope Cruz's relationship with Tom Cruise.

Tom Cruise was married when he met Penelope Cruz

Like so many Hollywood couples before them, Penelope Cruz and Tom Cruise met on set . However, when the two started working together on 2001's Vanilla Sky , Cruise was a married man. Here's where things get dicey. According to Entertainment Weekly , Cruise filed for divorce from Nicole Kidman in February 2001. By August 2001, the divorce was finalized . Ironically, Cruz and Cruise made their public debut as a couple the same month at the premiere of Cruz's film Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Following the premiere, the actress gushed to Good Morning America   (via ABC News) about what it meant to have Cruise attend the premiere with her. "He came and shared it with me," Cruz said. "It was special for me that he wanted to share it with me that way."

Despite the timeline that might suggest that the co-stars hooked up while filming Vanilla Sky (which would have meant that Cruise cheated on Kidman), over the years, Cruz has maintained that the two didn't get together on set. "I've never fallen in love with someone I'm working with," she told The Telegraph in 2008. "It's always been afterwards. If something becomes friendship, then maybe months later it becomes something else, but you can never know. It's always a mystery. You can't plan those things." We guess we'll just have to take her word for it.

Scientology might have played a part in Penelope Cruz and Tom Cruise's split

After three years together, Penelope Cruz and Tom Cruise split in January 2004. "The relationship just ran its course and they decided not to be girlfriend and boyfriend anymore, a source told People at the time. "Through most of the relationship they were both shooting movies in separate parts of the world." While the insider pointed toward distance as a factor that contributed to Cruz and Cruise's break-up, another factor could have been their religious opinions.

A source told Radar Online that Cruise had been "head over heels in love" with Cruz and had planned on proposing, but Cruz wasn't interested in tying the knot for one major reason. "Penelope pulled the plug on the relationship because she felt that the Church of Scientology was the third wheel in their relationship. Penelope doesn't have anything against the Church, but it just wasn't her thing. She admired Tom's dedication to it, but it wasn't her cup of tea and wasn't something she wanted to give her life up for." 

That being said, at the time of their split, Cruz's spokesman, Robert Garlock, said that Cruise's involvement with the Church of Scientology didn't play a part in the breakup, even noting that his client had "taken (church) courses and she's found them beneficial" (via People ). 

While Cruise has been in and out of several relationships since parting ways with Cruz, the actress settled down in 2010, tying the knot with actor Javier Bardem.

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Tom Cruise and Penélope Cruz's Relationship Timeline: A Look Back

Penélope Cruz and Tom Cruise met on the set of the 2001 film Vanilla Sky .

Bill Davila / FilmMagic / Getty Images

After meeting on the set of the film  Vanilla Sky  in 2000, action star Tom Cruise and Oscar-winning actress  Penélope Cruz  eventually went on to date for three years. The couple was understandably coy with the media, considering the many false reports that followed their relationship.

For instance, in 2003, Cruz sued Australian-based  New Idea  magazine after they ran an article insinuating she'd had an affair with a Spanish actor. She was vindicated in court months later,  per  Variety , and awarded a $3,200 settlement paid to her preferred charity.

However, despite their desire to keep their romance low-key, early signs of Cruise's infamous couch-jumping tendencies were all over this relationship, leading us to wonder if Cruise's enthusiasm was too much of a good thing. 

"As a person and on film, she invites you in, and she's incredibly romantic, and yet, real, you know?" he  told  Vanity Fair  in January 2002. "I thought, My God, I'm your boyfriend. You're my girlfriend! … Cruise and Cruz!"

Here's a look back at Tom Cruise and Penélope Cruz's relationship.

2000: Tom Cruise and Penélope Cruz first meet

The actor couple met in 2000 on the set of Cameron Crowe's  Vanilla Sky  when Cruise and Cruz were 38 and 26, respectively. Although the  Mission Impossible  star was married to ex-wife  Nicole Kidman  when shooting began (and not when it ended), he and Cruz have long maintained that their relationship began after the film wrapped. 

"I've never fallen in love with someone I'm working with. It's always been afterwards," Cruz told  The Telegraph  in 2008.

July 2001: Tom Cruise and Penélope Cruz are first spotted together

Steve Granitz / Getty Images

In July 2001, about six months after  Entertainment Weekly  reported  that Cruise filed for divorce, he and Cruz made it official. 

"Tom Cruise invited Penélope Cruz to his 39th birthday party on July 6, and they've had a few dates since," Cruise's longtime publicist Pat Kingsley told reporters at the time,  per  The Guardian .

2003: Tom Cruise and Penélope Cruz discuss their relationship

Though they were fairly private, Cruise and Cruz were always incredibly sweet when they did open up about their relationship in the press. During a  press conference for  Vanilla Sky , Cruz praised Cruise for his "generosity," adding, "He cares about everyone that is around him." 

In 2003, Cruise  told  Marie Claire  about the "different things" he liked to surprise Cruz with. 

"She'll come home, and I'll have her favorite kind of food made, have a bath drawn. I like doing stuff like that," Cruise said. "She likes my food, so I cook for her. It's always the little things I like in a relationship."

January 2004: Tom Cruise and Penélope Cruz break up

Dave Hogan / Getty Images

Although  People  confirmed  the news of Cruz and Cruise's split in March 2004, the pair broke up in late January 2004. Cruise's publicist assured reporters that the breakup was "amicable," and Cruz’s rep said, "They remain good friends and still talk often," noting, "There is no other person involved." 

A source told  People , "The relationship just ran its course, and they decided not to be girlfriend and boyfriend anymore. Through most of the relationship they were both shooting movies in separate parts of the world."

Though Cruz's rep maintained that Cruise's involvement with the Church of Scientology was not a factor in the breakup, a 2012 exposé later provided a conflicting report.  According to  Vanity Fair 's Maureen Orth, Cruz "ran afoul of [church leader David Miscavige]" due to her unwillingness to "forsake her Buddhist beliefs."

In 2006, Cruz defended Scientology (and Cruise) in an  interview with  The Guardian . 

"I would feel bad with myself if I didn't say that I was grateful to [Scientology] because of what I've learned about it," she explained to the outlet. 

Cruz insisted she and Cruise were still on friendly terms, saying, "Tom is a very good man, and I am close to his whole family, his children. I love his children, and his mum, and all of his family, and he's a great man. The people who have been good to me, they are untouchable. I am very loyal to the people who have meant something to me and have been good to me, very, very loyal."

Whatever the cause for the split, the actors  have  seemingly remained on good terms through the years. Though  Page Six reported  the exes shared an "awkward" run-in at a party in 2009, the two were later spotted at dinner in London together in 2015 along with  Salma Hayek ,  per  E! News .

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Famosos en Pareja

Así fue la relación entre penélope cruz y tom cruise.

Si hay figuras destacadas dentro de la industria cinematográfica con Penélope Cruz y Tom Cruise. Ambos poseen una gran trayectoria y han trabajado juntos, así como desarrollado una relación que trascendió la pantalla grande. Esta es la historia del amor que se vivió entre los dos.

Penélope y Tom se enamoraron durante el rodaje de la película 'Vainilla Sky', estrenada el 14 de diciembre de 2001. La cinta fue dirigida por Cameron Crowe y se trata de un remake del filme español 'Abre los ojos' , escrita por Alejandro Amenábar y Mateo Gil en 1997.

Esta producción convirti ó a Tom y Penélope en "la pareja de Hollywood", llenando cientos de portadas de la prensa mundial. No obstante, sobre su romance siempre planearon rumores de crisis y distanciamiento e incluso se rumoró que era una estrategia de publicidad. 

Sin embargo, el romance no duró muchos años y en enero de 2003 llegó a su fin aunque la separación fue "amistosa", según dijeron ellos mismos. También aseguraron que no hubo terceras personas involucradas en la decisión y que "ambos siguen siendo buenos amigos".

¿De qué se trata la película que unió a Penélope Cruz y Tom Cruise?

En Vanilla Sky, el despreocupado David (Tom Cruise) es el heredero de una editorial multimillonaria y en la celebración de su cumpleaños conoce a Sofía (Penélope Cruz). Por primera vez, David siente que "el verdadero amor es posible", pero le rompe el corazón a Juli, su amiga y amante, quien decide suicidarse cuando él la acompaña en su coche. 

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Sofía Rivera Torres demuestra cuál es el traje de 1 sola pieza que estiliza la figura

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• User reviews

Vanilla Sky

A self-indulgent and vain publishing magnate finds his privileged life upended after a vehicular accident with a resentful lover. A self-indulgent and vain publishing magnate finds his privileged life upended after a vehicular accident with a resentful lover. A self-indulgent and vain publishing magnate finds his privileged life upended after a vehicular accident with a resentful lover.

• Cameron Crowe
• Alejandro Amenábar
• Penélope Cruz
• Cameron Diaz
• 1.3K User reviews
• 158 Critic reviews
• 45 Metascore
• 5 wins & 34 nominations total

• David Aames

• Sofia Serrano

• Julie Gianni

• Brian Shelby

• Edmund Ventura

• Thomas Tipp

• Rebecca Dearborn

• David's Assistant
• (as Delaina Mitchell)

• Peter Brown
• Jamie Berliner

• Dr. Pomeranz

• Other Doctor

• Third Doctor
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia The scene with Tom Cruise alone in Times Square is not computer enhanced. The production was given unprecedented permission to shut down Times Square for one Sunday. At the time, the news ticker was providing updates on the George W. Bush - Al Gore election. To avoid dating the film, Crowe got permission to change the NASDAQ sign in post-production.
• Goofs When David and Brian are in the car in the beginning you can clearly see that they are about one or two feet higher compared to the other cars, even though they are in the relatively low Mustang, revealing that the car is probably on a trailer rather than on the road.

Sofía : Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around.

• Crazy credits There are no opening credits for the film.
• Alternate versions The 2015 Blu-Ray release includes an alternate ending version with a vastly expanded ending. While the events lead to the same conclusion, there are alternate takes and additional scenes (including the scene of David shooting the police officer).
• Connections Edited into Scrubs: My Friend the Doctor (2003)
• Soundtracks Everything In Its Right Place Written by Thom Yorke (as Thomas Yorke), Ed O'Brien (as Edward O'Brien), Colin Greenwood , Jonny Greenwood (as Jonathan Greenwood) and Phil Selway (as Philip Selway) Performed by Radiohead Courtesy of Capitol Records under license from EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets

User reviews 1.3K

• May 5, 2021
• How long is Vanilla Sky? Powered by Alexa
• December 14, 2001 (United States)
• United States
• Khung Trời Ảo Mộng
• Bar Building - 44th Street between 5th & 6th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
• Paramount Pictures
• Cruise/Wagner Productions
• Vinyl Films
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $68,000,000 (estimated)
• $100,618,344
• $25,015,518
• Dec 16, 2001
• $203,388,341

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 16 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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A Look Back At Tom Cruise And Penelope Cruz's Y2K Romance

The dating history of Hollywood A-lister Tom Cruise has always fascinated the tabloids. This is especially true considering he has been connected to some of film's biggest names, such as Oscar award winner Nicole Kidman. Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise married in 1990 and welcomed two children before Cruise filed for divorce in 2001. Just months before choosing to end his marriage, "The Mummy" star met his next partner, Penelope Cruz.

Though they'd been acquainted prior, it wasn't until after Cruise invited Cruz to his birthday party in July 2001 that the two began dating. Once crowned Hello! Magazine's Most Attractive Couple Of The Year , Cruz and Cruise embarked on a three-year relationship that was filled with affection. Cruise even confided in Marie Claire that he enjoyed packing on the romance for his girlfriend, including whipping up home-cooked meals and running baths for her. While things appeared promising, the pair ended their relationship in 2004. Though they reportedly remained friends, it seems that their split may have been a bit bumpy.

The couple met while working together on Vanilla Sky

Penelope Cruz and Tom Cruise first met through their work in the romance thriller, "Vanilla Sky." Ironically enough, the two portrayed love interests, Sofia Serrano and David Aames. During a January 2002 press run for the film, the two praised one another in front of media cameras. Cruise stated he'd appreciated Cruz's compassion, while she admired his generosity with everyone he seemed to encounter. Though it would be easy to assume that this immediately sent sparks between them, that was simply not the case. Years after their breakup, Cruz explained that she never mixes business with pleasure on set.

"I've never fallen in love with someone I'm working with. It's always been afterward. If something becomes friendship, then maybe months later, it becomes something else, but you can never know," she explained to The Telegraph in 2008, four years after the breakup.

Cruz may have been jealous of Cruise's relationship with Nicole Kidman

Penelope Cruz chose to split from Tom Crusie in 2004, and it may have had something to do with Cruise's ex-wife, Nicole Kidman. Though she was reportedly devastated by their divorce and even tried to convince him to stay in the marriage, Cruise expressed his love for Kidman. This allegedly didn't sit well with Cruz, who caught wind of deep conversations the exes were having when she was not around. It also didn't help that Kidman's and Cruise's children supposedly weren't bonding well with Cruz. However, once the split was announced in March 2004, a representative for Cruz seemingly dismissed these claims, telling People , "There is no other person involved."

After People's Sexiest Man Alive alum moved on from Cruz, he married "Alone Together" star Katie Holmes in 2005, though the relationship fizzled by 2012. Cruz walked down the aisle with actor Javier Bardem in 2010, whom she remains with today. Years later, the old flames were spotted dining in London in February 2015 with Cruz's good friend, Salma Hayek. Even after parting ways, it appears there is no bad blood between Cruz and Cruise.

Forgotten Facts About Tom Cruise And Penelope Cruz's Relationship

The whirlwind romance between Hollywood superstars Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz was more than just a rebound.

• Tom Cruise and Penélope Cruz fell in love while filming Vanilla Sky, but their relationship didn't start until after Cruise's divorce from Nicole Kidman.
• Cruise and Cruz dated for almost three years but eventually broke up due to difficulties with his family and the influence of the Church of Scientology.
• Despite their split, Cruise and Cruz remained on good terms and have been seen together years later, while both have moved on in their personal and professional lives.

When we think back to the turn of the century, we remember celebrity couples, such as Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston . Two decades ago, Tom Cruise was in the process of divorcing his second wife, Nicole Kidman . Many forget that he almost instantly found love again in the arms of Penélope Cruz. Their whirlwind romance was more than just a rebound, though. They remained together for quite some time and even planned for the future.

Related: Nicole Kidman Subtly Disses Ex-Husband Tom Cruise While Defending The Oscars

After the couple broke up, Tom Cruise entered a highly-publicized relationship with Katie Holmes , so the memories of the Cruise/Cruz union faded relatively fast. From the time they first met to their breakup, here are all the juicy facts about the would-be power couple Tom Cruise and Penélope Cruz.

11 Tom Cruise And Penélope Cruz Met On The Set Of Vanilla Sky (2001)

Penélope Cruz and Tom Cruise first met on the set of Vanilla Sky (2001), Cameron Crowe's hit thriller, in 2000. Cruise portrayed a charming millionaire who fell in love with Cruz's character, Sofia. Cruz and Cruise hit it off immediately, but there was a something keeping them apart.

When the two stars met, Cruise was still married to Nicole Kidman. The marriage was at its end regardless of Cruise's attraction to Cruz, and nothing happened between them until Cruise was separated from Kidman.

10 When Did Tom Cruise And Nicole Kidman Get Divorced?

Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman tied the knot in 1990. In the decade they were married, they adopted two kids and starred together in two movies. They filed for divorce in February 2001, citing "irreconcilable differences". The divorce was finalized after seven long months. Afterwards, however, Cruise instantly started flaunting his new girlfriend to the world.

Nicole Kidman has also since moved on, and she is now married to country singer Keith Urban. The two tied the knot in 2006 and have been together ever since.

9 When Did The Cruise/Cruz Romance Begin?

Since the couple started making public appearances so quickly after the divorce, many speculated that Tom had already been seeing Penélope before the divorce was set. Cruz claimed, however, that the romance didn't start on the set of Vanilla Sky , but rather some time later. "I've never fallen in love with someone I'm working with. It's always been afterwards," Cruz said, according to Yahoo .

Related: Katie Holmes And Tom Cruise Agreed To Finalize Their Divorce Settlement In A Matter Of Days

8 How Long Did Tom Cruise And Penélope Cruz Date?

The romance between Cruise and Cruz lasted for almost three years, from 2001 to January 2004. At the time they started dating, Tom Cruise had just turned 39 years old, while Penélope Cruz was 27. Though they had a decently sized age-gap, the difference in age did not seem to bother Cruise nor Cruz.

Fans of celebrities are used to seeing much larger age gaps than that between Cruise and Cruz, so it was not startling to the public.

7 Tom Cruise Surprised Cruz With Home-Cooked Meals And Baths

Tom Cruise loved to pamper Penélope. He boasted that she likes his home-cooked meals, so he cooked for her often. Sometimes, he'd welcome her home with a bath drawn and ready. While they undoubtedly enjoyed a lovely honeymoon phase, the two weren't meant to last.

6 Cruise Planned On Proposing To Cruz

Cruise was so smitten with Cruz that he was seriously considering proposing to her. If she were to accept his proposal, she would have become his third wife. Cruise had a history of jumping into new marriages pretty quickly. He proposed to Kidman only ten months after his divorce with Mimi Rogers was finalized.

Related: Why Tom Cruise Dropped $200,000 In Anticipation Of His Estranged Daughter Suri's Birth

5 Why Did Tom Cruise And Penélope Cruz Split?

According to Standard , Cruz struggled in their relationship because she couldn't fit in with his family or get his children to accept her. Additionally, she was growing frustrated with the fact that Tom Cruise was still regularly talking to Kidman and said that he would always love her.

That is at least what supposedly went on behind closed doors. The official version of the growing trouble in paradise was blamed on the fact that they were shooting movies in different parts of the world. Consequently, it was growing harder and harder for the two to spend any quality time together.

4 Was The Church Of Scientology Involved In The Cruise/Cruz Split?

While many celebrities decided to leave the Church of Scientology , Tom Cruise remains a passionate follower to this day. According to Hindustan Times , Cruz "Pulled the plug on the relationship because she felt that the Church of Scientology was the third wheel in their relationship. Penélope doesn't have anything against the Church, but it just wasn't her thing. She admired Tom's dedication to it, but it wasn't her cup of tea and wasn't something she wanted to give her life up for."

3 Ultimately, Cruz Decided To Leave Tom Cruise​​​​​​​

Between having to listen to late-night calls to his ex-wife and deal with the role of religion in his life, Cruz soon decided that this relationship was not meant to be and left Cruise. Despite their differences, they held no grudges toward one another; Their breakup was friendly and conflict-free. "The relationship just ran its course, and they decided not to be girlfriend and boyfriend anymore," said a publicist at the time.

2 After The Break-Up, Tom Cruise Moved On To Katie Holmes​​​​​​​

Cruise wasn't lonely for long after Cruz broke up with him in 2004. By the time 2005 rolled around, he was already seeing Katie Holmes. The two got married and welcomed their daughter Suri in 2006. The two have since divorced.

As for Penélope after the break-up, she busied herself by shooting movies, such as Sahara in 2005 and Volver in 2006.

1 Tom Cruise And Penélope Cruz Remained Friendly After The Break-Up​​​​​​​

It's been more than a decade since the couple has broken up. Cruz is now married to Javier Bardem and has two children with him. There seems to remain no animosity between Cruise and Cruz. In 2015, they were spotted dining together in London, accompanied by Salma Hayek.

Tom Cruise is hard at work making more Mission: Impossible films, while Penélope Cruz was recently honored with a nomination for Best Actress at the 94th Academy Awards. Tom Cruise was rumored to be dating his Mission: Impossible 7 co-star Hayley Atwell in 2021, but neither of them ever confirmed the relationship, and reports suggest that they have since broken up.

Por ejemplo: Black Mirror , Gladiator 2 , La casa de papel

La historia de amor entre Tom Cruise y Penelope Cruz que nadie recuerda

Tom Cruise no solo es uno de los actores más queridos en Hollywood, sino también uno de los galanes más codiciados de la industria y a estas alturas muchos han olvidado su romance con Penélope Cruz

Esta semana estreno Misión Imposible Sentencia Mortal Parte 1 , la cual promete ofrecer una gran dosis de adrenalina, sin embargo la atención ha estado puesta en Tom Cruise y su compañera Hayley Atwell , quienes al aprecer están envueltos en una romance, sin embargo aún no hay nada confirmado. Lo que si es un hecho es que la estrella de Top Gun Maverick lleva una temporada soltero pero no por ello tan hace unas semanas lo vimos intentando conquistar a Shakira .

Aunque sus matrimonios no han sido muy exitos, el actor ha conquistado el corazón de varias famosas y muy pocos recuerdan que salió con Penélope Cruz . Los actores fueron "la pareja de Hollywood" a principios de los 2000, ambos se enamoraron durante el rodaje de Vanilla Sky , del director  Cameron Crowe , un remake de la película española Abre los ojos , que también estuvo protagonizada por Cruz.

La película de ciencia ficción fue protagonizada por Cruz, Cruise y  Cameron Diaz , quien ganó dos premios a Mejor actriz de reparto por su actuación. En Vanilla Sky , el despreocupado David (Cruise) es el heredero de una editorial multimillonaria y en la celebración de su cumpleaños conoce a Sofía (Cruz). Por primera vez, David siente que "el verdadero amor es posible", pero le rompe el corazón a Julie (Diaz), su amiga y amante, quien decide suicidarse cuando él la acompaña en su coche. 

La grabación de la película llevó a la vida real la relación entre los actores y, durante los tres años que estuvieron juntos , la prensa mundial se llenó de fotos de la pareja modelando en alfombras rojas, así como de señalamientos y rumores en torno a ella. La prensa destacó el divorcio entre Tom Cruise y Nicole Kidman , puesto que era muy reciente cuando el actor comenzó a salir con Cruz. Asimismo,  se llegó a decir que su relación se trataba de publicidad para promocionar la película que grabaron juntos .

A principios de 2003, la pareja anunció su ruptura amorosa. Según los actores, la separación se dio en buenos términos y aseguraron que seguirían siendo buenos amigos . Diversos medios internacionales dijeron que Cruz y Cruise (el parecido de sus apellidos encantaba a todos) pasaron muchos meses alejados debido a sus trabajos, pero que esto haya sido motivo de su separación es solo una especulación.

• ¡Para maratonear! Estas son las 10 mejores películas protagonizadas por Tom Cruise
• Tom Cruise utilizó brillo labial en las escenas más extremas de 'Top Gun 2'
• Tom Cruise audicionó para épica película de Keanu Reeves pero lo rechazaron

BBC The Graham Norton Show: Penelope Cruz's romance with Tom Cruise before she married another famous co-star

She dated the famous Hollywood actor for two and half years

• 15:42, 28 JAN 2022

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Award-winning actress Penelope Cruz is currently married to her fellow co-star Javier Bardem.

The pair have been married for 12 years but before this Penelope enjoyed a two-and-a-half year relationship with another high-profile Hollywood actor.

You can read more Showbiz news here.

She dated Tom Cruise from 2001 to 2004 after they met on the set of Vanilla Sky, a science fiction psychological film.

At the time Tom was married to Nicole Kidman and he and Penelope began dating after they had filmed Vanilla Sky and Tom was no longer with Nicole.

The pair mostly kept their relationship private but they revealed some parts of their sweet relationship such as Tom being the cook of the house.

Penelope also successfully sued Australian magazine New Idea in 2003 after they published an article hinting that she had an affair with a Spanish actor.

Her split with Tom was amicable and the pair continue to remain friends.

Penelope and Javier were co-stars in 1992 in her breakthrough role in Jamon, Jamon and knew each other for more than a decade when they began dating in 2007.

While together they starred in the 2008 film Vicky Cristina Barcelona, 2013 film The Counselor and the 2018 film Everybody Knows.

They married in 2010 at a private ceremony in the Bahamas and have two children together, their son Leo and a daughter Luna.

Penelope was born in Spain and had her first TV acting role when she was just 16 gaining huge roles throughout her career.

She is now known for starring in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Zoolander 2, Kenneth Branagh's Murder on the Orient Express, the comedy film Bandidas and many more Hollywood films.

The 57-year-old has most recently starred in the 2022 film The 355, about a group of female spies, and she has won an Oscar and been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards.

She also has a famous sister, Monica Cruz, who has starred in The Inquiry, Last Hour, and Iron Cross. Monica stood in for Penelope for some scenes of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Penelope is a guest on The Graham Norton Show on Friday, January, 28 on BBC One at 10.35 pm.

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Penelope Cruz

Who Is Penelope Cruz?

Actress Penelope Cruz studied classical ballet at a young age, later moving to Hollywood, California, to pursue acting. She soon landed roles opposite the likes of Matt Damon and Tom Cruise. She won an Academy Award — becoming the first Spanish actress to do so — for her performance in the film Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008). Cruz married her Vicky Cristina Barcelona co-star, Spanish actor Javier Bardem, in 2010.

When and Where Was Penelope Cruz Born?

Cruz was born on April 28, 1974, in Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain.

Marriage to Javier Bardem

In July 2010, Cruz married her Vicky Cristina Barcelona co-star, Spanish actor Javier Bardem. The couple had begun dating early into filming, in 2007.

Cruz and Bardem welcomed their first child, son Leo Encinas Cruz, in January 2011. Two years later, on July 22, 2013, a 39-year-old Cruz gave birth to her second child with Bardem, a daughter named Luna Encinas Cruz, in Madrid, Spain.

Penelope Cruz Sanchez was born on April 28, 1974, in Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain. Cruz was born as the eldest of three and a natural performer; her father, Eduardo, worked as a car mechanic, and her mother, Encarna, was a hairdresser. As a child, Cruz amused her family by re-enacting television commercials. Though a natural actress, she took up dance for her choice of performance arts. She studied classical ballet for nine years at Spain's National Conservatory and then moved to New York to dance under a series of prominent performers.

“I’m strong and opinionated. Those qualities brought me a lot of problems since I was a little girl in school, saying ‘I don’t agree’ and fighting with the children. It’s part of my curiosity for life."

When she was 15 years old, Cruz found her true vocation after beating out 300 other girls at a talent agency competition. Following this early success, she landed several roles as a dancer for music videos, as well as a gig hosting Spanish TV's La Quinta Marcha . Additionally, Cruz explored her more sensual side in the French erotic TV series Serie Rose .

Spanish Cinema

Cruz made her film debut in 1992, in the dark film Jamón Jamón . The film's director, who had been unable to cast Cruz as the lead in another film because of her young age, waited until she was old enough for his next film. Her performance earned her nominations for both the Spanish Actors Union Newcomer Award and the Goya Award (Spain's Academy Award) for best lead actress. A year later, Cruz played Luz in The Age of Beauty (1992). The film won an Oscar (best foreign language film), virtually swept the Goya Awards and earned Cruz the Spanish Actors Union Award for best supporting performance.

With an impressive apprenticeship to the craft, Cruz earned her place in Spanish cinema as a leading lady. Her resumé continued to grow over the following few years, clocking up three or four films each year. In 1997, Cruz took the role of Isabel Plaza Caballero in Carne Tremula — marking the first time that she worked with internationally renowned director Pedro Almodóvar, who, in turn, became a lifelong friend, as well as her vehicle for global fame. Cruz garnered further critical recognition for her performance in the film.

Two years later, in 1999, Cruz landed a role in another film directed by Almodóvar, Todo Sobre Mi Madre , which went on to win an Oscar and a BAFTA (best foreign language film) award. With a series of well-respected movies under her belt, by this time, Cruz was in demand on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

Hollywood Movies

At the age of 25, Cruz made the bold decision to move to Hollywood, California. Fully in command and on top of her career, she took on the role of a control freak and successful chef in Woman on Top (2000). That same year, she played the romantic lead in Billy Bob Thornton's Western All the Pretty Horses. Both films garnered critical success.

Cruz went on to further prove she could hold her own among heavy-hitting actors in 2001, when she starred opposite Johnny Depp in the film Blow . That same year, she appeared in Captain Corelli's Mandolin ; her performance earned her a European Film Award nomination for best actress. Cruz's next film, Waking Up in Reno (2002), featured her alongside Billy Bob Thornton and Patrick Swayze . The romantic comedy about two couples headed to a Monster Truck show received little box office attention.

In 2005, Cruz appeared in Sahara , a comedic adventure film. Not long into filming, the actress began a year-long relationship with her Sahara co-star, Matthew McConaughey . The couple later split, reportedly citing conflicting film schedules.

Recent Movies

Returning to Spanish-language filmes, Cruz appeared in Bandidas (2006) with friend and co-star Salma Hayek . That same year, she starred in Volver , another Almodóvar film; the director had held the role specifically for Cruz, and her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for best actress. A year later, Cruz won her first Academy Award (best actress in a supporting role) for the Woody Allen film Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008).

"[Penelope Cruz] is a muse for me in the sense that a muse is someone who makes you better than you are. I think I am a better director with her, because she believes that I am better than I am, and that blind faith gives me a lot of strength." - Pedro Almodóvar

Cruz reunited with Almodóvar a year later for the film Los Abrazos Rotos ( Broken Embraces ), released in 2009. That same year, she had a supporting role in the musical Nine , starring Daniel Day-Lewis as a famous Italian director. Cruz played Carla, the director's mistress and only one of the many women in his life. The film, adapted from the Broadway show, was directed by Rob Marshall and also featured Nicole Kidman , Judi Dench and Sophia Loren . For her portrayal of Carla in the film, Cruz received an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress.

Turning to comedy, Cruz had a role in 2010's Sex in the City 2 . In 2011, she reunited with Johnny Depp for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides . She reunited with Woody Allen in 2012's To Rome with Love. In 2013, Cruz worked with Pedro Almodóvar again in the film I'm So Excited ( Los amantes pasajeros ). During this time, she also starred in more serious roles. In the film Twice Born (2012), she starred as Gemma, a mother who returns to the city of Sarajevo years after escaping the war with her only child. In 2013, she starred opposite Michael Fassbender in the Ridley Scott thriller, The Counselor .

In 2015, she starred in the Spanish film Ma Ma , which she also co-produced. The following year she appeared as a secret agent in the comedy Zoolander 2 and in the British spy comedy Grimsby.

In January 2018, Cruz played fashion icon Donatella Versace in the second installment of Ryan Murphy's American Crime Story , entitled The Assassination of Gianni Versace .

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Penelope Cruz
• Birth Year: 1974
• Birth date: April 28, 1974
• Birth City: Alcobendas, Madrid
• Birth Country: Spain
• Gender: Female
• Best Known For: Spanish actress Penelope Cruz is known for her roles in films such as Vanilla Sky, Blow, Nine and her Oscar-winning performance in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
• Astrological Sign: Taurus
• Spain's National Conservatory
• Nacionalities

We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Penelope Cruz Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/actors/penelope-cruz
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: August 16, 2019
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014
• I’m strong and opinionated. Those qualities brought me a lot of problems since I was a little girl in school, saying ‘I don’t agree’ and fighting with the children. It’s part of my curiosity for life.

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20 years ago, Tom Cruise made the most incoherent sci-fi movie of the century

If you really think about it, this is all Christopher Nolan’s fault.

Penélope Cruz tells a wealthy ne'er-do-well played by Tom Cruise that “every passing minute is a chance to turn it all around.” At this moment, Cruise (David Aames) feels he’s reached that critical point where he can make a meaningful change in his otherwise shallow life — notably, by opening himself up to real love with Cruz (Sofia Serrano).

David is feeling positive about turning his life around. What he doesn’t know is that he’ll soon make another choice that will come with dire consequences. It’s one of the more positive moments in Vanilla Sky , which premiered 20 years ago on December 10, 2001, that drives home a simple message at the heart of this absurdly complex sci-fi movie:

It’s the little things we do that can have the most impact on our lives.

Vanilla Sky is a bizarre cinematic hybrid; equal parts science fiction, psychological thriller, and romance. The early 2000s were a popular time for the psychological thriller, a genre Christopher Nolan had mastered a year earlier with 2000’s Memento . Nolan’s mind-bending movie was a huge critical success, so naturally, everyone in Hollywood wanted to copy him.

In that context, Cameron Crowe’s Vanilla Sky makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately, it didn’t make sense to critics and moviegoers. The star-studded movie (Cameron Diaz, Kurt Russell, Tilda Swinton, and Jason Lee are also in the cast) went on to attain cult classic status as one of the most underrated sci-fi thrillers of the century (so far). But 20 years later, does Vanilla Sky actually hold up?

Tom Cruise as the wealthy publishing tycoon, David Aames, Jr.

Vanilla Sky stars Tom Cruise as David Aames, a publishing mogul at the age of 33 (due to a substantial inheritance) who lives the filthy rich Manhattanite playboy lifestyle. David goes to work when he feels like it. He plays daily racquetball with his novelist buddy, Brian, and spends his nights sleeping with his friend-with-benefits, singer/model Julie Gianni (Cameron Diaz) with no intention of commitment.

David and his friend-with-benefits, Julie Gianni.

Yes, David lives a charmed life. He only has two worries:

• His company’s board of directors
• A single, errant gray hair

David and Brian driving to play racquetball before work.

I’m not the biggest Tom Cruise fan, but he plays the part of David perfectly. Cruise excels in roles where he’s supposed to be a jerk. Whenever he plays a good guy hero, it just feels unnatural. Thankfully, David is the former.

David gets to know Sofia Serrano.

While David is seemingly the man who has everything, once he encounters Sofia Serrano (Penélope Cruz) at his birthday party, he feels he’s met the love of his life.

Cruz is very charming as Sofia, but we barely get to know her. David falls madly in love after only a few hours simply because she’s “guileless” and “ an artist.” While we are seeing her from David’s perspective, she seems to embody the traits of just another manic pixie dream girl.

Regardless, David is smitten. But unfortunately, he makes the fateful decision to get in a car with the unstable Julie, who’s decided that she’s sick of being a side-piece and wants a real relationship.

To drive her point home, Julie drives off a bridge.

Julie picks up David in her car and eventually drives off a bridge.

This accident shapes the rest of David’s life. Julie doesn’t survive, but David does — while sustaining extensive facial scarring. Plastic surgery helps, it’s still not enough to completely restore his face to its previous Tom Cruise glory.

David tries to get his face completely restored after the car accident.

For the rest of the film, David is desperate to get his life back to the way it was before the accident — his face, his company, and his budding relationship with Sofia that had been cut so short.

David questioning his reality.

After the accident, the rest of the movie is one mind trip after another. You don’t know what’s supposed to be reality and what’s a dream. Is David actually going crazy or is someone screwing with his head?

A trippy story can keep an audience’s attention (e.g. Memento ), but the twists and turns here are so relentless that watching it can feel like drowning. There’s nothing concrete for the audience to grasp.

It was all a dream.

It feels like Cameron Crowe was trying to recapture Memento ’s success with Vanilla Sky by having one long puzzle that keeps the audience guessing. Where Nolan succeeds and Crowe fails is in the ultimate execution of the puzzle and the piecing together of the mystery.

With Memento , once the mystery is revealed, it might be a surprise twist, but it’s easier for the audience to look back to the earlier parts of the movie, and think, Oh, that makes sense, now. But in Vanilla Sky , there are so many convoluted plot points and such a minimal payoff (spoilers: David has been having a lucid dream in cryogenic suspension for 150 years and his subconscious just glitched) that trying to make sense of earlier twists is practically futile.

The underlying message of Vanilla Sky — that the small moments in life that can have the greatest consequences — still works. But it’s so buried in unnecessary complexity that you might not even see it. Then again, at least you’ll still be watching a visually stunning movie full of beautiful people and a fun soundtrack.

This article was originally published on Dec. 10, 2021

• Science Fiction

Tom Cruise y Penélope Cruz

¿cómo es la relación entre..., ¿están juntos....

Penélope Cruz

Penélope Cruz y Tom Cruise mantuvieron una relación sentimental en el año 2001, después de haber trabajado juntos en la película "Vanilla Sky". La pareja fue vista en varias ocasiones juntos y se les consideraba una de las parejas más famosas de Hollywood en ese momento. Sin embargo, su relación no duró mucho tiempo y se dice que terminaron en buena forma, manteniendo una amistad después de su separación. Penélope Cruz se mantuvo muy discreta al respecto, pero en algunas entrevistas ha manifestado que Tom Cruise fue una persona muy importante en su vida y que tienen una gran amistad. Ambos actores han seguido trabajando en la industria del cine y no han vuelto a actuar juntos después de "Vanilla Sky". Sin embargo, se reencontraron en el año 2010 en el rodaje de la película "Knight and Day", aunque esta vez como amigos y compañeros de trabajo.

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Los hitos y momentos clave que marcan su vida y su trayectoria

Penélope Cruz cumple 50 años en la cumbre: la niña de Alcobendas que conquistó Hollywood

Hace 15 años que se coronó como la primera y única actriz española en ganar un oscar.

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“I grew up in a place called Alcobendas, where this was not a very realistic dream”. En inglés, emocionada hasta las lágrimas, sujetando con las manos temblorosas el premio, mirando a su madre en el patio de butacas… Así entraba Penélope Cruz en la historia de los Oscar . Recordando sus orígenes y su vida de niña, cuando aquellas películas que devoraba en el vídeo Betamax alimentaban sus sueños infantiles. Así conoció los trabajos de Meryl Streep, Pedro Almodóvar, Al Pacino o Fernando Trueba. ¿Quién le iba a decir que algunos de ellos serían sus mentores y, hoy, grandes amigos? Aquella noche hollywoodiense , grabada en la retina de todos los que seguíamos la ceremonia de madrugada a este lado del Atlán­tico, aunque hayan pasado ya 15 años , la primera y única actriz española en lograr el hito también fue el paradigma del sueño americano.

Lo que parecía ciencia ficción en el sofá rojo de su hogar en Alcobendas se había hecho realidad ante el mundo. Esfuerzo, trabajo, tesón y mucha pasión en lo que hace. ¡Ah!, y no nos olvidemos de la humildad. Siempre la ha llevado a gala y es, probablemente, uno de los ingredientes principales de la receta del éxito que la mantiene en la cumbre. De aquella pequeña pizpireta de coletas y tardes de ballet con su hermana, Mónica —la danza la ayudó a canalizar una energía desbordante—, de deberes en la peluquería de su madre, de miles de planes y muchas ganas de crecer , a hoy, ha llovido mucho.

“Es algo enorme y bonito. Significa que estoy aquí y estoy sana, y es un motivo para hacer una fiesta”, decía la actriz recientemente sobre su 50 cumpleaños

Penélope cumple 50 espléndidos años en un momento profesional y vital muy especial, con nuevos proyectos —está rodando La novia de Frankenstein , a las órdenes de Maggie Gyllenhaal— y grandes retos que la están llevando a un nuevo nivel, como son la producción (a través de la productora que fundó , hace dos años, con nombre en honor a sus hijos, MoonLyon) y la dirección. Ya lo dijo claro hace poco: “Voy a dirigir, lo quiero y lo necesito ”.

“ La gente me pregunta sobre la edad desde que tenía veintitantos. Me molestó más entonces que ahora. Ahora tiene más sentido hablar de cumplir 50 años. Es algo enorme y bonito, y realmente quiero celebrarlo con todos mis amigos. Significa que estoy aquí y estoy sana, y es un motivo para hacer una fiesta”, decía recientemente en una entrevista en Elle .

“Esa jornada (la última de grabación de ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’) rodamos nuestro beso. Nos besamos y seguimos y seguimos, y cuando quisimos darnos cuenta, el equipo se había ido”

Con 18 recién cumplidos, Penélope se dio a conocer en el cine de la mano de Bigas Luna, con Jamón, jamón , y, poco tiempo después, con Belle époque , de Fernando Trueba. “Tuve mucha suerte de tener esa tarjeta de presentación , eran dos películas muy diferentes y muy buenas. Ahí empecé a hilar un rodaje con otro y, además, me fui a vivir a Nueva York para aprender inglés, porque yo había estudiado siempre francés. Y me costó, porque ya era más mayor, pero en esa época ya aposté por la interpretación , tomé este camino”, asegura en la misma entrevista la actriz, con más de setenta premios nacionales e internacionales (3 Goya, la copa Volpi de Venecia, el David de Donatello, la Palma de Cannes, el Bafta, el César...). Y cierto es que resulta difícil leer alguna en la que no se acuerde en algún momento de Bigas Luna —uno de los motivos por los que su hija se llama Luna —, Fernando Trueba y, por supuesto, Pedro Almodóvar .

Así es de agradecida con sus inicios y con los primeros directo­res que vieron algo especial en ella. Aunque después haya trabajado con Stephen Frears, Ridley Scott, Rob Marshall, Cameron Crowe o Woody Allen. Rodando a sus órdenes Vicky Cristina Barcelona , en 2007, se reencontró con Javier Bardem (al año siguiente, él ganaría el Oscar). Habían pasado 16 años desde el rodaje de Jamón, jamón , y aunque habían coincidido en algún otro proyecto, fue en ese momento cuando sus caminos se cruzaron . Pero grabaron hasta el último día sin que Javier se atreviera a confesarle sus sentimientos: “Esa jornada rodamos nuestro beso. Nos besamos y seguimos y seguimos, y cuando quisimos darnos cuenta, el equipo se había ido”.

La escena de aquel largo beso no se incluyó en la película , pero Woody Allen la conservó y “ nos envió la secuencia como regalo de bodas”. Se casaron en julio de 2010, en Bahamas, y después llegaría el nacimiento de sus hijos, Leo, en 2011, y Luna, en 2013 . Porque si algo ha sido el gran revulsivo en la vida de la actriz es la maternidad: “Desde que era una niña pequeña, sabía que quería tener hijos. Pero también sabía que los quería cuando fuera mayor. Quería esperar hasta sentir que estaba lista. Estaba segura de que sería lo más importante que haría en mi vida”.

Nacho Cano, al conocerla: “Le dije, no sé por qué ni cómo: ‘Tú vas a ser la actriz más importante del mundo’”

¡Oscar a la pareja del año! Los momentos más románticos de Penélope Cruz y Javier Bardem

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14 parejas que nos sorprendieron (y aún hoy siguen haciéndolo)

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Penélope Cruz y Tom Cruise.

De esta relación no nos olvidamos, pero aún hoy seguimos comentando con sorpresa su descubrimiento. Fueron tres años en los que los dos actores hacían gala de un idílico romance hasta que en enero de 2004 el cuento llegó a su fin. Entonces en España alucinábamos con el salto de Penélope a la industria hollywoodiense llevándose consigo a uno de los galanes de la época. Sin embargo, la religión parecía un escollo insalvable y cuando ella demostraba sus multiples influencias (entre otras, las budistas) en la cienciología no creían que fuera una buena influencia para su abanderado estrella.

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Pedro Almodóvar and Penélope Cruz … the mentor and the muse

They make an odd couple. The slender Hollywood beauty, all eyeliner and understated glamour, and the tubby Spanish director with the pan scourer haircut and designer anorak. Imagine a wary deer and an inquisitive bear in the same over-furnished hotel room. If you saw Penélope Cruz and Pedro Almodóvar walking along the street together, you might wonder what makes them tick, but they have the makings of one of the all-time great partnerships between a film-maker and his muse. Almodóvar has transformed Cruz into a screen goddess. Cruz has brought Almodóvar mainstream adulation and bigger box office. Even their names – Pedro and Penelope (or Pe, as Cruz is known in the Spanish newspapers) – have a symmetry.

On the whole, Almodóvar is the more garrulous of the two. Cruz tends to play the role of glamorous assistant – or dutiful daughter – when they are in a room together. This despite the fact that she is more fluent in English than Almodóvar who relies, when things get linguistically sticky, on a translator.

She gazes over at her director adoringly (although, with those gorgeous doe eyes, it would be a struggle not to look adoring) and laughs at his jokes. When I see them later at a British Film Institute question-and-answer session to celebrate Broken Embraces, their fourth film together, it's noticeable how Almodóvar dominates. Cruz speaks just twice.

Perhaps it's no surprise that she allows him to take centre stage. Apart from her father, Almodóvar has been the most important male figure in her life, a fundamental part of her background and her career. "He changed the way I looked at the world before I even knew him," she says, her face lighting up. Cruz is from Alcobendas, a high-rise suburb just north of Madrid.

She spent most of her time when growing up in her mother's beauty salon, listening to stories over the hum of the hairdryers (how Almodóvar, famous for his female ensemble casting from Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown to Volver must have wished he'd known her then).

She'd obsessively watch Almodóvar films on the family's Betamax video recorder. She was 14 when she saw Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down at the cinema. "I went into the city to see that movie and that was the day that changed a lot of things for me," she remembers. "In terms of making the decision that day to become an actress. It felt like going to the moon. Almost impossible. Coming from where I come from. There was nobody who had anything to do with the arts in my family."

What she may not have known then – and what may have cemented their friendship over the years – was that Almodóvar is also from a background that has nothing to do with cinema. He grew up in La Mancha in a peasant family (his father could barely read or write). Escape came by way of a much- hated Catholic boarding school to which he won a scholarship. By 17, he was living in Madrid, working for a telephone company during the day and making films at night.

To Cruz, 25 years younger than Almodóvar, he seemed to symbolise everything that was changing about Spain following Franco. His films were shocking, flamboyant, irreverent, anarchic as well as warm and funny and sometimes plain daft. "Even when I was a little girl, I identified with him," she says. "This is the person I am interested in. Why does he see the world that way? Why does he understand women the way he does? I wanted to know this person who was brave enough to stand up for himself politically. When I was growing up, there was such a fear of change in Spain and he seemed to be the opposite."

As for Almodóvar, he first became aware of Cruz in 1992 in Bigas Luna's gloriously raucous melodrama Jamón, Jamón in which she played the daughter of a prostitute alongside Javier Bardem. She was a shy 17-year-old who had started acting after winning a talent contest two years earlier but you can already see her as a sex symbol in the making. "She had a very teenage voice which was sometimes completely off-key but also unique," recalls Almodóvar. "She had this passion that she breathes out of every pore, that element of cheekiness, which is really suited to my films."

When he called her at home, she was incredulous. "I remember I was in the bathroom and someone shouted to me that Pedro Almodóvar was on the telephone. Because everyone knew that that was the one call I wanted, I didn't believe them."

They met at his apartment and she auditioned but a part didn't immediately materialise. "She was always too young for my characters," says Almodóvar. He told her that one day he would write her a role "that would fit her like a glove". It would be five years before they would work together for the first time.

All too soon, she had been scooped up by Hollywood. "I suffered when I saw her in things that are not as good as they could be," recalls Almodóvar paternalistically, referring perhaps to some of Cruz's more limpid films choices like Captain Corelli's Mandolin, where she was cast as the bland beauty.

"She was not so lucky in the beginning. She got to Hollywood very quickly and everybody wanted to work with her. Because she is very beautiful, it became more to do with that. She became a fashion icon and they didn't care if she is a good actress or not. That's what I don't like about Hollywood. They never conceive of giving an actor something unusual. They have to be safe in everything that they do." What's left unsaid is the fact that her relationship with Tom Cruise did not help. Overnight, she became better known for her private life and her frocks than her career.

Almodóvar has boasted in the past that he "saved her from Hollywood". The film industry is full of male directors and their beautiful muses. One thinks of Woody Allen and Diane Keaton, Josef von Sternberg and Marlene Dietrich, Alfred Hitchcock and Grace Kelly, Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman. It's a relationship that is not as subservient as it sometimes sounds. The director bags a trophy-winning performance, but at the same time the actress brings the kind of stellar magnetism that directors can often only dream of. The producers love it – they get the kind of cinematic chemistry that makes a picture instantly marketable. Audiences are enamoured by a relationship between the man behind the camera and the woman on the screen which seems palpably real – and often is.

The joke, of course, is that Pedro Almodóvar is famously gay and Penélope Cruz is famously not (her boyfriends have included several co-stars, including Cruise who she met filming Vanilla Sky. She's currently dating Javier Bardem, with whom she was reunited on the set of Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona. There were unconfirmed reports last week that she is pregnant).

However, it is the sensuous side of Cruz that Almodóvar celebrates on screen. "There is something that works really well in our relationship that combines both our friendship and the professional side," says Almodóvar. "We operate like lovers. So while we don't have the pleasures of sex, we don't have the complications of sex either. We work really well as a couple who don't sleep together." Penelope giggles in the corner. "There is no one even close to him," she says. "I am always comparing everything to working with him."

When they don't have a film to make together they meet for dinner or go to the cinema. "When things are bad for me," says Almodóvar, "I try not to tell her because I know I will have her on my doorstep wanting to nurse me." She nods: "I'm a very good nurse."

Almodóvar has always brought out the best in his coterie of actresses, although he famously fell out with Carmen Maura, a former muse and the star of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. The rift would last for 18 years until he persuaded her to star in Volver as the mother who comes back from the dead. He does not want the same thing to happen with Cruz, who has the kind of international appeal directors dream of.

He makes much of the fact that he is uniquely qualified to make the best of Cruz. He's certainly persuaded her to take the kind of risks that are generally not seen in her other films. "He'll say to me, 'You haven't done anything like this before, or anything close to this,'" says Cruz. "In terms of personal experience, being in his films have been some of the best times in my life. Growing and learning. I don't just see them as movies. I feel he could give his life for a movie, and so could I."

He nurtures the Mediterranean side of her character that Hollywood rarely seems to understand. The generous cleavage, the bed hair, the volatile temperament, the carnality. He masterminds everything, down to the earrings she wears. In their first film, Live Flesh – Cruz plays a wailing prostitute who gives birth on a bus; she's only in the film for the first eight minutes but she steals the movie – she is almost unrecognisable from some of the vanilla fare she'd usually been seen in. In All About My Mother, she is a Prada-wearing nun who gets pregnant by a transsexual and ends up with Aids. ("How can I make this believable?" she asked Almodóvar. "Trust me," he replied.)

It seems unlikely that Woody Allen would have cast in her Oscar-winning role in Vicky Cristina Barcelona if he had not been impressed by Almodóvar's vision of her as the passionate, prosthetic-bottom-wearing single mother in Volver. She agrees. "Volver was a liberation," she says. "It opened a lot of doors. I did feel a difference in the terms of the types of role I was offered, all over the world."

At the same time, she seems uniquely qualified to bring out the best in Almodóvar. His best films have starred Cruz. He says: "She exposes herself more than I do. She is offering up her body, her face, her eyes." She's able to flit from farce to tragedy in a moment, which suits his scripts; she carries the audience with her even when his plots become outrageously convoluted, which they are inclined to do.

Broken Embraces is Almodóvar's 17th film and it's all about the symbiotic relationship between director and actress. Part thriller, part love story, shot in the style of film noir, at its core is Almodóvar's infatuation with Cruz. Almodóvar says it was not written with Cruz in mind – "I never put faces to characters until the first draft. They change so much; their age, their class, even their gender" – but I'm not sure I believe him.

The complex story line follows a love affair between a first-time actress, Lena, played by Cruz, and her director, Mateo, played by Lluís Homar. There is a film within a film, and we see the director/lover coaching his actress/girlfriend in a way that Almodóvar must have done countless times with Cruz. On set, Almodóvar will often direct Cruz by whispering a running commentary while the camera runs, telling her character what she's thinking every second of the scene. Cruz fills the screen, always looking sumptuous, whether she's channelling her inner Marilyn Monroe in a peroxide wig or Audrey Hepburn in a prim twinset. One of the first shots of her is of her famous bottom (this time without the padding).

"It comes close to being obscene," says Almodóvar, a little sheepishly. "Of making an image of the woman for your own delight. For your own enjoyment."

At the same time, alongside his fascination with the way she looks – he has said that she's the only woman he has ever felt sexually aroused by – he often casts her as the heroine, playing on an ethereal quality that balances out the earthiness.

In Broken Embraces, she plays an essentially good woman knocked off course by circumstances beyond her control. Lena's life is driven by loss and Cruz says she spent most of her time off set in tears. "I would cry more between takes than I did during them," she says. "She is very different to me and that was the way to get close to Lena. I would cry just to release all the emotion."

The result is an engrossing, tense film which is, as always with Almodóvar, beautiful to watch. While lacking the life-enhancing joy of Volver, it is, once again, a showcase for Cruz. She says she's always terrified of failing Almodóvar in some way and that this shoot was just the same.

"That is terrible," he says, looking distressed. "I don't know what to do about it. You should not feel terrified."

"I can't help it!" she replies.

I wonder if they plan to work together again. Almodóvar, who never seems to take a break from film-making, has another script which will be finished in a month's time. For the moment, he's not saying if he has his muse in mind. "However I have got the feeling we will keep on working together," he says.

"I would love that," says Cruz, and she flashes him that luminous, mega-watt smile.

Broken Embraces opens on Friday

• Pedro Almodóvar

Born 25 September 1949 to a poor peasant family. Mother hopes he'll become a priest.

1967 Moves to Madrid, against parents' wishes.

1971 Buys his first Super-8 camera.

1980 First film Pepi, Luci, Bom released

1997 Penélope Cruz plays a pregnant prostitute in Live Flesh.

2000 All About My Mother wins Oscar.

2006 All six main actresses in Volver share Best Actress Award at Cannes.

2009 Broken Embraces released.

Pedro on Penelope: "She has caused me sexual desire."

• Penélope Cruz

Born 28 April 1974. Mother is a hairdresser, her father is a shopkeeper.

1989 Beats 300 girls in a talent contest.

1990 Sneaks on to the set of Almodóvar's High Heels but does not dare speak to him.

1992 Film debut, Jamón Jamón.

2001 Begins dating Tom Cruise.

2006 Plays Raimunda, heroine of Almodóvar's Volver.

2008 First Spanish actress to win an Oscar, for Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Relationship with her co-star Javier Bardem starts.

Penelope on Pedro : "At the end of my life, he will be among those I have loved most."

• The Observer

Most viewed

Un baile descontrolado, el abrazo de Javier Bardem y una fiesta llena de celebridades: así fue el cumpleaños de Penélope Cruz

La actriz española llegó a los 50 y decidió celebrarlo a lo grande: primero bailando los temas de bad bunny, luego con una reunión en una terraza de nueva york.

Penélope Cruz " class="com-link" data-reactroot=""> Penélope Cruz cumplió 50 y decidió festejarlo con todo . La actriz española, una de las artistas de habla hispana más influyentes en la industria del cine, aprovechó su estadía en Nueva York para, primero, bailar al ritmo de la música de Bad Bunny en el recital que el cantante portorriqueño brindó en la Gran Manzana, y después disfrutar de una fiesta plagada de celebridades. Lejos de su habitual hermetismo, los videos y las fotos de la divertida velada esta vez abundaron en las redes sociales, al punto de, incluso, volverse virales.

penélope cruz and javier bardem at the bad bunny concert in new york oh parentals where was my invite pic.twitter.com/tLI5tXaHdJ — alexa la cerva (@diegoIunas) April 28, 2024

Todo comenzó el domingo por la noche en el show del rapero, a donde la musa de Pedro Almodóvar llegó de la mano de su marido, el también famoso actor Javier Bardem. En el palco vip, la pareja vivió el espectáculo a puro baile. Cruz eligió para lucir en su día un sombrero blanco de cowboy con plumas y luces que combinó con un chaleco en tono camel y jeans. En un video que grabó el protagonista de Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona y que se viralizó en las redes, se puede ver a la actriz mientras canta “La Jumpa”, uno de sus temas favoritos del artista.

“Mi nombre es Arcángel, un gusto, un placer”, se escucha entonar muy entusiasmada a la actriz, mientras baila y se ríe, muy divertida. Bardem luego gira el teléfono, queda en primer plano y hace un gesto para el público, mientras de fondo el tema sigue su marcha: “Hoy tú te vas con una leyenda que no va a volver a nacer...”. En el vip del concierto también estaba René Pérez Joglar, más conocido como Residente. Cabe recordar que la actriz le dio su imagen y su voz a “313″, uno de los últimos temas que lanzó el cantante y compositor.

Una vez que terminó el espectáculo, que fue parte de la gira Most Wanted Tour del cantante, Cruz y Bardem tuvieron la posibilidad de visitar a Bad Bunny en el camarín. La pareja de españoles, una de las más queridas del ambiente, aprovechó la oportunidad e inmortalizó el momento con una postal que también llegó al público a través de las redes sociales.

Qué siga la fiesta...

Podría haber sido un broche perfecto para sus 50, pero la noche no terminó ahí. Del estadio, Cruz y Bardem se fueron a festejar el gran día de la protagonista de Todo sobre mi madre con un grupo variopinto de invitados en una terraza de Nueva York. Muy querida por sus familiares y amigos, a la fiesta de Penélope no quiso faltar nadie. Así, desfilaron por el evento desde Salma Hayek y Ricky Martin hasta Irina Shayk. También estuvieron presentes Goya Toledo, René y Mónica Cruz, hermana y confidente de la actriz.

Luego de los tragos, la música, las selfies y la buena onda que copó el lugar, a Cruz le llegó la hora de soplar las velitas. Frente a una enorme torta de chocolate y abrazada todo el tiempo por Bardem, la actriz entonó con los presentes la clásica canción y aplaudió emocionada antes de pedir sus tres deseos y apagar las velitas.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by salmahayek (@salmahayekonline)

Una española que abrió con encanto las puertas de Hollywood

Penélope Cruz Sánchez nació el 28 de abril de 1974 en Alcobendas. A los 15 años, luego de ver ¡Atáme!, decidió que eso era lo que quería para su vida y no paró hasta convertirse ella misma en una “chica Almodóvar”. Debutó en 1992 en Jamón Jamón , y cinco años después cumplió el sueño de trabajar con su director favorito en Carne Trémula . Luego llegó Todo sobre mi madre, la película que no solo le valió el reconocimiento internacional, sino que le abrió las puertas de Hollywood.

Desde aquel hito consagratorio, la carrera de Penélope no paró de crecer: trabajó en más de 65 películas, se alzó -entre otros premios- con un Oscar a mejor actriz secundaria por su papel en Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona y compartió pantalla con celebridades como Matthew McConaughey, Tom Cruise, Salma Hayek y Adrien Brody. Además, es reconocida por su activismo solidario y su carisma. Su último trabajo fue Ferrari , la biopic sobre el expiloto y empresario italiano Enzo Ferrari, donde encarnó a Laura, su esposa.

En la actualidad, Penélope Cruz reside en España, está casada desde hace 14 años con Bardem -también ganador del premio Oscar-, y le dedica sus días, cuando no está en el set, a sus dos hijos: Leo y Luna.

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Penélope Cruz cumplió 50. Repasamos su estilo camaleónico en la red carpet desde que debuto en el cine

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Checo Pérez confesó que le gustaría que Tom Cruise lo interprete en una película o serie

El piloto tapatío confesó que le gustaría hacer una serie o película de su vida.

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El piloto mexicano Checo Pérez admitió que le gustaría grabar una película o serie sobre su vida, en la cual ya sabe además quién le gustaría que lo interprete.

"Sí me gustaría, la verdad. Creo que tengo una historia muy padre que compartir con las nuevas generaciones , con todos los latinos que se vean motivados por esa serie, película o lo que sea" reconoció Checo en entrevista con CNN.

Lee también ¿Cuánto cuesta un guante autografiado por Canelo Álvarez y Jaime Munguía?

Así mismo, confesó que le gustaría que sea Tom Cruise , el famoso actor de Hollywood y protagonista de películas como Top Gun, Misión Imposible y El último samurái , entre tantas obras, quien interprete su vida.

"Me gustaría que vean que se puede llegar lejos, no importa las adversidades que haya en el camino. Me gustaría Tom Cruise. Maneja muy bien los aviones así que seguro los coches también " concluyó.

Lee también David Benavidez advierte al Canelo: "Pon algo de jodido respeto en el nombre de Oscar de la Hoya"

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Penélope Cruz en 15 imágenes: los momentos más importantes de su vida y su carrera

La intérprete madrileña cumple los 50 años con una trayectoria de más de tres décadas plagada de éxitos e hitos. ha sido la primera española en ganar un oscar como mejor actriz, una copa volpi o en conseguir una estrella en el paseo de la fama de hollywood. una fama mundial que no le ha impedido mantener la discreción de su vida privada, y eso que su madrido es javier bardem, otra estrella internacional.

Esta funcionalidad es sólo para registrados

Penélope Cruz: éxitos y amores en 50 esplendorosos años de vida

La actriz española más internacional celebra su medio siglo de vida junto a javier bardem y sus dos hijos, antes de unirse al amos de su vida estuvo saliendo con rostros tan conocidos como los de nacho cano, tom cruise o matthew mcconaughey, el gran miedo de penélope cruz por algo que le ocurrió con 9 años: «es un trauma».

A. B. BUENDÍA

Esta funcionalidad es sólo para suscriptores

Nadie en España ha llegado tan lejos en una carrera como actriz. El caso de Penélope Cruz es único y ahora, a sus 50 años, puede presumir de echar la vista atrás y ver los resultados de tanto esfuerzo, talento y capacidad de compromiso . Lo hace desde la serenidad de una triunfadora en vida y obra. Y junto a su marido, Javier Bardem , y sus dos hijos.

Penélope Cruz cumple hoy 50 años y su historia es de esas que merece la pena contar. Hija de un comerciante extremeño que trabajaba en un concesionario y de una madre que regentaba una peluquería , pronto descubrió que su mundo sería el de la interpretación. Lo hizo al ver ' Átame ', de Pedro Almodóvar . Pero antes se curtiría el mundo del videoclip -'La fuerza del destino', de Mecano , sería su debut profesional con tan solo 14 años- o la televisión, presentando 'Los mundos de Yupi' en 1990 o poco después 'La quinta marcha' junto a Jesús Vázquez .

Jennifer Aniston estrena el corte de pelo más estiloso de la primavera

Los hitos de Karl Lagerfeld que marcaron la historia de la moda

La primera película de Penélope Cruz fue 'El laberinto griego', dirigida por Rafael Alcázar, y después vino ' Jamón, jamón ' del polémico director Bigas Luna, en 1992, tras superar un casting terrible. Ahí conocería a Javier Bardem, aunque todavía no surgiría la llama del amor. 'El amor perjudica seriamente la salud' y ' Carne trémula ', esta junto a su amado Almodóvar, la consolidarían como estrella nacional. Lo siguiente sería Hollywood .

El éxito internacional de ' Todo sobre mi madre ', que le llevó a ser la primera actriz española candidata a un Oscar como mejor actriz principal, la catapultaría más allá de las fronteras y Woody Allen la eligió para participar en 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona'. Fue nominada a un Oscar a mejor actriz secundaria y ganó . Su participación en la saga de ' Los Piratas del Caribe ' no hizo otra cosa que disparar una popularidad y respeto como intérprete que todavía permanece al alza. El ejemplo de una carrera bien llevada y pensada a partir del talento y capacidad de seducción.

Y si su vida profesional ha sido todo un éxito, lo mismo se podría decir de su vida amorosa. Nacho Cano la eligió entre una infinidad de aspirantes para protagonizar un videoclip de Mecano y más tarde, en 1991 y siendo ella menor de edad , comenzaron una relación que estuvo marcada por todo tipo de vaivenes. Duró cinco años .

Tras Nacho Cano, se le relacionó con el jinete Gigi Sarasola . Después conoció a Javier Bardem en 'Jamón, jamón' se dijo que mantuvo algún tipo de relación con Matt Damon , con quien coincidió en el largometraje de 'Todos los caballos bellos'. Pero su romance más sonado llegó en 2001 junto a Tom Cruise , con quien rodó 'Vanilla Sky'. En el 2003 se produjo la « ruptura amistosa », como ellos mismos la calificaron.

Mathew McConaughey

Su siguiente novio sería otro actor conocido y muy venido a más en los últimos años, Matthew McConaughey, con el que coincidió en la película ' Sáhara ', estrenada en 2005. Dos años después, los dos actores emitieron un comunicado conjunto donde afirmaban que habían decidido « darse un tiempo ». Ese tiempo duró hasta el infinito y más allá.

Javier Bardem

En 2007 llegó su película más importante a todos los niveles. Fue ' Vicky Cristina Barcelona ', donde volvió a coincidir con Javier Bardem. Y esta vez la chispa del amor se encendió hasta quemar. Ese mismo verano, las revistas confirmaron su noviazgo después de pasar juntos unas vacaciones en las Maldivas . Fiel al deseo de él, el hermetismo se apoderó de la relación.

Siguiendo esta línea, en 2010 se casaron en secreto . Fue en una isla privada propiedad de Johnny Depp, en las Bahamas . Un año más tarde llegaría su primer hijo, Leo , quien nació en la exclusiva clínica Cedars Sinai de Los Ángeles, donde residía la pareja en aquel momento. Y dos años después vendría Luna , en España.

Ambos representan la imagen de dos triunfadores , actores con Oscar que eligen sus papeles, no dan cuentas a nadie y no publicitan su vida privada, sin que ello signifique desatender sus compromisos promocionales y publicitarios. Ahora, y también como embajadora de Chanel , Penélope sigue tan radiante como siempre a sus 50 años, envidiablemente llevados a todos los niveles.

*Campos obligatorios

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Penelope Cruz just turned 50 and this is how she looks decades younger

The all the pretty horses actress looks incredible at 50.

We all know that Hollywood is synonymous with beauty and no one is more beautiful than the dazzling Penelope Cruz. Th e Vanilla Sky  star celebrates her 50th birthday on 28 April and we can't quite believe it. She looks like she could be in her 30s, and we legitimately thought she was. Movie stars never seem to age, do they?

The mother-of-two, who is married to Javier Bardem, always looks elegant, poised and flawless. We've delved into her beauty secrets to find out just how she looks SO young and we think you will be surprised.

Penelope's beauty secrets

The star, who is known for her role in Pirates of the Caribbean, has been a Lancome ambassador since 2013, and her longstanding partnership with the brand means she has the opportunity to try out some of the best products which are luxurious and promote anti-ageing with their top-notch ingredients.

Her daily skincare routine involves three main products, the Lancome 'Absolue Purifying Brightening Gel Cleanser' followed by the Lancome 'Advanced Genifique Youth Activating' serum, and Lancome 'Hydra Zen Moisturising and Soothing Cream' both for day and night.

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Makeup wise, the raven-haired beauty uses the Lancome 'Teint Idole Ultra Wear Foundation Stick' and Lancome 'Teint Idole Ultra Wear All Over Concealer' for her complexion. She follows up with the Lancome 'Blush Subtil Powder' and Lancome 'Hypnose Drama Waterproof Full Impact Volume Mascara,' and tops off her look with the Lancome 'La Nuit Tresor L'Eau de Parfum Spray'.

For us mere mortals, using all these products would cost a very pretty penny. Penelope's skincare regime will set you back $225.79 (£181.90)  a month, and her makeup and perfume adds a further $289.02 (£231.83) bringing it to a grand total of $515.80 (£413.73) per month. Gulp! If you fancy treating yourself, you can pick up the entire range of Lancome products on Escentual.com.

Penelope's Hair

Penelope's mane is strong and lucious. We spoke to elite hairdresser Paul Windle of Windle Salon , London who thinks the actress has done lots of things to keep her hair intact and looking gorgeous.

"As we age, the hair diameter decreases, so it's important to avoid excessive heat styling when not needed; give your hair a break as the heat can erode it. Penelope would have used protein rich shampoo and conditioner to keep her hair strong. Windle Lab fortifying shampoo and conditioner contains protein bonding agents and wheat protein which are great for this."

Penelope's ageless looks 

Now, we all know that Hollywood stars often subtly dabble in cosmetic enhancements, but Dr Mark Solomos, Plastic & Aesthetic Surgeon as seen on 10 Years Younger and Price of Perfection, thinks she has had very little done. 

"Penelope looks very natural, with no obvious signs of surgical intervention. You can even see some fine lines which is very refreshing in the age of Hollywood perfection, and in my opinion makes her look more beautiful and natural. She may well have had Botox and fillers in the past but nothing too extravagant. Also it’s possible to do mini Botox so you can relax the muscles and lighten the lines without losing the expressions - important for actors! It’s become very popular in my clinic for a light refresh of the skin."

It seems her lifestyle also plays a major part in her age-defying looks.

The expert added: "Penelope is blessed by good genes and a dark Mediterranean olive skin tone, which usually ages quite well. I am sure she benefits from non surgical interventions like perhaps PRP treatments, profhilo, light therapy and laser as these improve things marginally and give glowing skin without any signs of ‘work’. No doubt she will lead a healthy lifestyle routine with exercise, good nutrition and skin care regime. This is the way to do it!"

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Penélope Cruz Turns 50: Inside Her Life in Spain with Javier Bardem and Their 2 Kids (Exclusive Source) 

The Oscar-winning actress hits her milestone birthday on April 28

Neilson Barnard/Getty

Happy birthday, Penélope Cruz !

The Oscar-winning actress, who turned 50 on April 28, has been one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actresses for years, starring in blockbusters like Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides , foreign films like Volver and ad campaigns for Chanel.

But when she’s not working, she enjoys a quiet life in her native Spain with her husband of 14 years, actor Javier Bardem , 55, and their two children, Leo, 13, and Luna, 10.

“Penelope Cruz is one of the loveliest Hollywood stars with lots of talent,” an entertainment executive source tells PEOPLE. “She is grounded, successful and knows who she is. She is happily married and loves being in a family unit. She is happy living out of the spotlight.”

The source says Cruz has no qualms about turning 50. “She is fulfilled, in a solid marriage, and has a happy life,” they say. “Penelope is fine with turning 50 and believes the early years of working all of the time paid off but are behind her. Now she can pick and choose. And she is quite content with how everything has turned out for her.”

A Spanish style source tells PEOPLE that Cruz is “mature, beautiful and poised," noting, “When you have made many of the right choices in your life, turning 50 is a gift not a dreaded day."

“She has a lot to be proud of and thankful for in her life. She is an award-winning actress, a true beauty, and a female who likes to laugh and have fun," the source adds. "She is the real deal.”

Another film industry source details that Cruz is happier living away from the bustle of Hollywood and that has been good for her marriage and motherhood.

“She is looking forward to the next part of her life, which will find her doing what she wants when she wants and feeling happy doing it,” the source says.

VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty

Cruz remains private and doesn’t often discuss her children in interviews. "It’s for them to decide if they are going to have a job that is more exposed to the public or not. They can talk about that when they’re ready," she explained Elle in January .

But she has, at times, opened up about her life with her family of four outside of the spotlight around the Spanish capital. 

“I am indeed 100% from Madrid. I was born here, and I grew up here. I love Madrid,” she has said. 

Carlos Alvarez/Getty

In a recent conversation she had with her friend, manager Guy Oseary, for Dust magazine, Cruz discussed her decision to make Spain her home base and always put her loved ones before her work. 

“My life’s priority has always been my family. Having that focal point has probably given me the strength to choose projects on my own terms,” she said. 

Not that it’s come without some hand-wringing. “How can I be the one to say no, with all the insecurities that come with this profession?” she wondered, ultimately deciding that she gets to “follow my own path.”

The Ferrari actress and Bardem, who won an Oscar himself for his role in No Country for Old Men , have tried to shield their children from cell phones, social media and all the hoopla surrounding Hollywood.

"They know that we do movies, but I don't think they know what that means or what is that all about," he told PEOPLE in 2017. "It's fine. We don't have anything in our house that reminds them that we are actors. We really don't care about that."

Momodu Mansaray/Getty

A-list visitors might tip off Leo and Luna that their parents are also a big deal. In her conversation with Oseary for Dust , Cruz recalled a dinner they had at Restaurante Araceli with her longtime friend and collaborator Pedro Almodóvar and Madonna , with whom Oseary works.

On nights spent at home, Cruz likes to have friends over to play Werewolf, a social game not that different from the TV series Traitors . “You have to lie, manipulate, betray,” Cruz told PEOPLE in 2022. “In Madrid I also have groups of people that play.  It's the best game, and it's a great game for actors.”

"You have to convince [other players] that you are a villager instead of a wolf, and that you're not going to kill in the middle of the night,” she continued.

A fair word of warning to anyone who wants to go toe-to-toe with Cruz: “I play like my life depends on it,” she said.

But It may be a minute before Cruz can host another game night at home in Europe. She’s attached to the upcoming Frankenstein-themed movie The Bride , which has been filming in Staten Island, New York.

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