Penélope Cruz is famously private, which makes her latest health revelation feel even more powerful. The Oscar winner has spent decades letting her work speak for her, from “Vanilla Sky” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” to “Volver” and “Parallel Mothers.”
But in a new interview with Porter magazine, published Sunday, July 6, Cruz shared the frightening reason her health now sits at the center of her life.
Inside Penelope Cruz’s Brain Aneurysm Scare and Health Wake-Up Call
GettyThe actress, 52, said she once faced a suspected brain aneurysm while working on a film.
“I have had many scares like that,” Cruz said. “Fortunately, I’m fine; it was a false alarm, but I worry about staying healthy, taking care of myself.”
For Cruz, the experience was not just a passing scare. It became another reminder that health cannot be taken for granted, especially when life and work are moving at full speed.
Penélope Cruz Reveals Why Her Health Is Her Biggest Priority Now
GettyThe “Vanilla Sky” star said she has built her life around protecting her well-being.
“I don’t drink,” she continued. “I don’t smoke. I really don’t party. Without health, we have nothing. You want to talk about real equality? Why don’t we start with health?”
Her comments come as fans have been seeing more of Cruz’s personal side. She recently stepped out to support Spain at the World Cup with her husband, Javier Bardem, giving fans a rare public glimpse of the couple together.
GettyStill, the actress has long been careful about how much of her private life she shares. That is part of what makes her latest comments so striking.
Husband Javier Bardem Says Family Was ‘Very Worried’
GettyThe health scare affected her family, too. Bardem, 57, spoke to People on Thursday, July 2, about learning of the suspected aneurysm through a phone call from Cruz while she was in the middle of production. The “No Country for Old Men” star said the news hit hard.
He said he was “struck” by the call, adding, “We were very worried.”
Cruz later shared more about that moment at Cannes in May while discussing what happened on the set of “The Black Ball.””We’re about to go out, I was putting on my wig, and they said, ‘Oh, apparently you have some brain aneurysm,'” she recalled at the screening, according to Variety. “I thought I was about to die. This is something that was totally surreal in my life.”
A doctor eventually cleared Cruz to continue filming.
Penélope Cruz Reflects on Aging and Her Career
GettyCruz, who shares son Leo, 15, and daughter Luna, 12, with Bardem, said she does not see aging as something to fear. “In my twenties, people were already asking me if I was afraid of getting older,” she told Porter elsewhere in the interview. “My way to battle it then was just not answering.”
The “Parallel Mothers” star said the work has continued to challenge her in meaningful ways. “The level of diversity in the women that I have been offered to play has maintained, maybe gotten even greater.”
After decades in the spotlight, Cruz’s latest comments show a different kind of strength.
