Penélope Cruz scooped a Goya (the Spanish Oscar) for her sassy stretch in Bigas Luna’s Jamón Jamón. In 1997 she briefly gave birth on a bus in Pedro Almodóvar’s film Live Flesh — and international audiences were alerted to her work. She reunited with Almodóvar two years later for a bigger role in All About My Mother and now takes the lead role in his new film, Volver. In the meantime, she has become a Hollywood star, taking roles opposite Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp and Matthew McConaughey. In Volver, Cruz plays Raimunda, the mother of a teenage daughter haunted by the return of her own deceased mother.
Did you draw from your own mother to play the role?
Yes … Her strength — she was very passionate about life and she would do anything for us. And she had to fight alone to raise us. So I always saw my mother like Raimunda — working very hard.
There are a lot of emotionally intense scenes in the movie. Was it tough for you?
Yes, they required a level of concentration … And at the end of the day, I was like a zombie. I would ride home and I hardly had the energy to eat with my eyes open. I would just go to sleep — it was a really exhausting experience.
Does acting in a film like this make you want to become a mother?
I wanted that before. I love children. It has not changed. In the three movies I have done with Pedro, I have been a mother. He kills me off in the other two — in this one I survive!
What do you think the main theme of the film is — female empowerment?
Yes. The men disappear quickly. But there are reasons for that. I think Pedro has also written some beautiful characters for men in the past.
Why do you think you and Almodóvar are great partners on film?
We had a great connection from the beginning. It’s much more than working together. He’s a really special person in my life.
Are there any other directors you are as close to?
Pedro’s unique, and difficult to compare to anyone else. I’ve been lucky with many of the people that I’ve worked with, but of course I have a special relationship with Pedro.
It’s been four years since you acted in Spain. Is it important for you to do Spanish films?
I don’t want to stop working in my country — and I want to do every movie with Pedro!