Penélope Cruz has revealed that she and actor Ben Stiller found a shared connection on the set of "Zoolander 2" due to experiencing the loss of a parent during the film's production. Cruz, 52, was on a night shoot for the 2016 comedy when her father died in the early hours of a Saturday morning.
"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," Cruz recalled in an interview with PORTER. "On Monday morning, I had to be on set again, trying to make people laugh, shooting a comedy."
She added that Stiller had experienced a similar loss two weeks prior. "Two weeks before that, the same thing had happened to Ben Stiller with his mom," Cruz stated. "The film couldn't stop for him, or for me. Every time I see Ben, I think, 'Wow, what we went through.'"
Separately, Cruz recounted a recent health scare involving a suspected aneurysm, which thankfully turned out to be a false alarm. "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," she said. Cruz detailed a healthy lifestyle, stating, "I don't drink, I don't smoke, I really don't party. Without health, we have nothing."
Cruz also expressed her frustration with the current state of women's healthcare, noting the persistent lack of comprehensive information and investment in research for illnesses affecting women. "It is shocking that, over decades, we've stuck to the same information about how women's bodies work," she commented. "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."
In discussions about motherhood, Cruz reflected on her parenting style with husband Javier Bardem. The couple shares son Leo, 15, and daughter Luna, 12. Cruz aims to foster an open environment at home, similar to her relationship with her own parents, where her children feel comfortable asking questions and sharing experiences without judgment.
She also voiced concerns about the challenges teenagers face today, particularly regarding online content and social media. "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."
Cruz is currently promoting her latest film, "The Invite," a thriller where she stars alongside Edward Norton as one of a couple's enigmatic upstairs neighbors.
