BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) HUMBLE START
Born in Madrid, Spain, Penelope Cruz had a pretty normal upbringing. She spent a lot of time at her grandmother’s apartment as her parents worked. At first she wanted to get into dancing. She studied classical ballet for nine years and would go to New York to carry this training on. She somehow got into acting and modeling as well. She busted her ass and slowly made her way up the ranks. She got some smaller roles in Spanish productions in the early 90’s.
(THREE) SPOKESMODEL
She’s in a lot of movies and has everyone’s admiration. Still she manages to still be able to work in commercials without losing an ounce of her respect. It looks like she’s always on TV in L’Oreal cosmetic commercials. This is only the tip of the iceberg.
(TWO) HEADS OR TAILS
She married the creepy air-gun guy from “No Country For Old Men”! No, I’m not talking about Tommy Lee Jones. Penelope is married to actor Javier Bardem. They did a great Woody Allen movie together and found themselves married in 2010. They had a kid together and seem to be living happily ever after.
(ONE) VARIETY
She would work consistently, but it was 2001’s Blow that I first saw her in. She was breath-taking and did a great job. From there was Vanilla Sky, Gothika, Volver, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Nine, and others. It’s now said she’s going to be in the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie. From there she’ll have it made. Her roles seem interesting and she seems to pick movies that really interest her. You have to respect that. She could EASILY sell out and do fluffy Julia Roberts-like rom-coms, but she has balls. How can you not be in love with Penelope Cruz? She has all the awe of a classic beauty but has a sophisticated exoticness to her that puts her in a class of her own. It’s all in the eyes.
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