Penelope Cruz has revealed that she bonded with Ben Stiller on the set of Zoolander 2 because they both lost a parent during filming.
The actress, 52, had a leading role in the 2016 comedy and revealed she was on a night shoot when her father died in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Speaking to PORTER, she recalled: ‘He died at two in the morning. Really young, a heart attack out of the blue. I remember being so close to passing out from the shock.
‘On Monday morning, I had to be on set again, trying to make people laugh, shooting a comedy.
‘Two weeks before that, the same thing had happened to Ben Stiller with his mom. The film couldn’t stop for him, or for me. Every time I see Ben, I think, “Wow, what we went through.”‘
Penelope recently had a health scare of her own, when her doctor told her that she had a suspected aneurysm.
Penelope Cruz has revealed that she bonded with Ben Stiller on the set of Zoolander 2 because they both lost a parent during filming as she posed for a shoot with PORTER
Penelope recently had a health scare of her own, when her doctor told her that she had a suspected aneurysm. Thankfully, it turned out to be a false alarm
A ruptured aneurysm causes bleeding into the brain which is life threatening, with Penelope previously revealing she was worried she was going to die.
Thankfully, it turned out to be a false alarm.
Penelope explained: ‘I have had many scares like that. Fortunately, I’m fine, it was a false alarm, but I worry about staying healthy, taking care of myself.
‘I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I really don’t party. Without health, we have nothing. You talk about real equality? Why don’t we start with health?’
In general, Penelope has expressed her frustration at women’s healthcare, explaining: ‘It’s shocking that, over decades, we’ve stuck to the same information about how women’s bodies work.
‘Look at funding for investigation into any illness that affects only women. We don’t get even half the investment. It is a level of control or suppression.’
Elsewhere in the chat, conversation turned to motherhood, with Penelope reflecting on herself and husband Javier Bardem’s parenting styles.
The couple wed in 2010 and share son Leo, 15, and daughter Luna, 12.
Penelope said of parenting: ‘As parents, you have to work much harder to create the right atmosphere at home.
‘My parents had me so young that I grew up being able to talk to them about everything. I want the same thing in my relationship with my kids.
‘To create a safe environment where they feel that they can ask all the questions and share whatever they need to. And I will listen without judgement.’
Penelope said of her lifestyle: ‘I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I really don’t party. Without health, we have nothing. You talk about real equality? Why don’t we start with health?’
Penelope also expressed her frustration at women’s healthcare, explaining: ‘It’s shocking that, over decades, we’ve stuck to the same information about how women’s bodies work’
The actress, 52, had a leading role in the 2016 comedy Zoolander and revealed she was on a night shoot when her father died in the early hours of Saturday morning
Two weeks before Penelope’s father died, her co-star Ben Stiller’s mother passed away
Elsewhere in the chat, conversation turned to motherhood, with Penelope reflecting on herself and husband Javier Bardem’s parenting styles
The Vicky Cristina Barcelona star also opened up about her fears surrounding what her children could be consuming online.
‘It is so difficult to be a teenager right now,’ she mused. ‘What the boys are being fed, what they are being tricked into thinking.
‘It is a type of manipulation that confuses even adults. With teenagers or children, it is a very dangerous weapon.
‘I remember puberty being a very challenging time for me. I don’t know what my life would have been if, in that time, I had been given a phone with all the horrors of social media.’
Penelope is currently on the promo trail for The Invite.
The Invite follows married couple Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde) whose ‘marriage is on thin ice,’ as per the IMDb synopsis.
‘When they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors for a dinner party, the night spirals into unexpected places.’
The ‘enigmatic upstairs neighbors’ Pina and Hawk are played by Penelope and Edward Norton.
