Being Penélope Cruz

This article is published in number 10 of Vanity Fair on newsstands until March 7, 2022

Penélope Cruz she has already won many awards, including an Oscar and a Bafta as a Supporting Actress in Woody Allen’s film Vicky Cristina Barcelona, a César and numerous Goyas. Yet, the recognition that thrilled her most in her long and brilliant career was the Coppa Volpi for Best Actress for Madres paralelas received at the last Venice Film Festival: «I love this festival. Winning with a film alongside Pedro was an incredible dream, ”she says. I dream that she could have a sequel: for that film she is nominated for an Oscar on March 27 for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

The partnership between her and Pedro Almodóvar is one of the most celebrated in the history of cinema. The first time they worked together, in 1997, she, in her early twenties, was already well known in Spain. Trémula meat was the first of eight films they made together, followed by blockbusters such as All about my mother (1999), Volver – Return (2006) and The broken hugs (2009). In the last, Madres paralelas, the actress plays beautifully Janis, a pregnant photographer who meets Ana, another mother-to-be in a maternity ward – a not-so-well-off 17-year-old – with whom she forms a close friendship. An intense role that earned her great admiration: «I am grateful to Pedro because all the characters he entrusted to me allowed me to confront myself with something new. With him, every time is a surprise, a great challenge. Janis was perhaps the most difficult character ever: a woman with a hard story behind her who lives every day as if she were to climb a mountain. I loved this role very much and I was very keen not to disappoint Pedro: even winning an award was more than I could dream of ». In short, for Cruz, Almodóvar is a true teacher. He loves all his films of hers and just can’t make a ranking. «Pedro is one of the family, we are very good friends. We have great esteem and respect for each other, but we manage to keep things separate. At dinner, our relationship is completely different from when we are on set, where we keep some sort of distance to protect our work and our friendship ».

At 47, Cruz is petite and strikingly beautiful. She tells me how she became a Chanel ambassador: «I went to the first show in 1999. Years later, Karl Lagerfeld invited me to Cannes. During a dinner with Virginie Viard, artistic director of the maison, I was offered the campaign for the Cruise 2018-2019 collection ». From there, she nominated her as ambassador and her friendship with Lagerfeld: “We talked for hours about everything, not just about fashion,” she says. «With Chanel I lived magical moments. I remember the sketches I got from Karl for a dress created for me for the Oscars, or the dress I wore in Venice this year, designed by Virginie ». Another moment of great importance, but reflecting a less happy moment in the history of the brand, was when Cruz walked the A / W 19 ready-to-wear collection, a collection designed by Karl Lagerfeld, but presented after his disappeared: «It was really hard not to cry. I remember that the catwalk was very long, and that feeling that I had to make it to the end… Then, in the back, I met Marion Cotillard, we hugged and we burst into tears. There were so many people who loved him and who worked with him for 40 years. It was magical, it seemed that time had stopped ».

After living in Los Angeles, London and New York, the actress settled in Madrid, where she lives with her children Leo, 11, and Luna, 8, and her husband, actor Javier Bardem, 53. met on the film set Ham hamfrom 1992, and they also starred together in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, from 2008. Living in Madrid, “a good place to raise children,” also allows the actress to be close to her mother and sister. The royal couple of Spanish cinema, at home, live a dimension far from that of glamor, film premieres and red carpets. “The key is to clearly separate work from private life,” says Cruz. “I don’t take my characters home: imagine a role like Janis, who made me cry on set for twelve hours straight, all those weeks … when I go home, I’m there one hundred percent for my family, and I also avoid making movies away from home unless shooting is in the summer. In winter, I only ride in Madrid. I want to be a mother first of all, so I’m lucky to be able to work while keeping my family as a priority ».

As a mother, one of the things that worries Penélope Cruz is the negative impact of social media on everyone’s life. She seems serious when she says she would have preferred to stay in the 90s, when there was a great balance between technology and pen and paper, and the rhythms were more sustainable. “I only use social media for work or for charity activities. I find crazy what is happening in the world to children and adolescents who use social media, it is a big problem that needs to be addressed urgently and regulated. It all starts at home, with the limits that every family imposes. Today, it has become commonplace to see a 12-year-old using social media, but she isn’t at all and that’s no good. I am strict and attentive, but when I look around I don’t think that the others are too ».

Before saying goodbye, we ask her if she feels the burden of being a model for so many girls who dream of her success and want to be like her. Penélope Cruz is not only the most international Spanish actress, but she is also the first of her in her country to have won an Oscar and to have won three nominations. “When a girl stops me on the street, I always say I’m nobody to give advice, because I’m not good at it. But if a teenager tells me she dreams of acting, I always recommend preparing. Studying, perfecting and having a plan B, just like I did. And never use drugs. I do not consider myself a role model if not for my children, because they see me every day and the example of parents is fundamental. It’s a huge responsibility, and my biggest mission in life is to try to be a good mother. ”

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