After marveling at the Venice Film Festival in September 2022, Penélope Cruz returns to the big screen to our delight. At 48, the famous actress, married to Javier Bardem, offers us a new performance with The immensitydirected by Emanuele Crialese, in cinemas from January 11, 2023. Remarkable in the role of both a cheated wife and a depressed mother, Penélope Cruz (unforgettable in Vanilla Sky or even in Vicky Cristina Barcelona) tells us about her trying experience in her new film, The immensity.
Télé-Loisirs: It is said that you were overwhelmed by the story of this woman that you play in this film…
Penelope Cruz: Yes, I found this woman’s life absolutely moving. She is a mother who finds herself totally trapped in her own home. She is completely desperate to find herself in a situation which for her is a hopeless one. She is at an impasse. She has to pretend to be happy in front of her children while her husband is cheating on her and she is very vulnerable mentally. I was very touched by the fragility of my character. I always need to play complex women!
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Is it a film that wants to pay homage to women?
You know, I’ve always been fascinated by what happens within a family. This film allowed me precisely to satisfy this need and to highlight certain women. I always have this desire to know the life of a wife, of a mother, to know how she manages her life as a woman, so I am very happy when I am offered to play this kind of character. . I must admit that the shooting was not easy because I had to play a woman who was abused both physically and psychologically. It was important to do this in a way that pays tribute to the women who are actually victims of abuse in their daily lives.
“Since I became a mother, my career has continued based solely on the needs of my family”
In The immensity, the theme of domestic violence is addressed. How did you prepare for it?
It was important for me to highlight these women who experience this kind of abuse. You know, for many of them, it’s not fiction but a terrible reality that alienates them from our society. They have such a trying life… Certain scenes were moreover very delicate for me to shoot but also vital, because I took this subject very seriously. There are so many women these days who are victims of this kind of violence.
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Why are you once again playing the role of a mother?
I get a lot of offers for mommy roles. I think the directors have to feel that I’ve always had a strong maternal instinct. I am an artist who already pretended to be a mother when I was a child. I believe that there is undoubtedly a reason why I am offered to play a mother in many projects.
You are also the mother of two children (Leo, 11, and Luna, 9, with actor Javier Bardem). How do you manage to manage your acting career and your life as a mother so well?
My children have always been my priority. Since I became a mother, my career has continued based solely on the needs of my family. There is nothing more important than my children and everything else now really takes a back seat.
From our correspondent in Hollywood: Hervé Tropéa
