Los Angeles Confidential February 2007 : Penelope Cruz

[SusanSuperstar]

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[SusanSuperstar]

http://www.la-confidential-magazine.com/

 

[SusanSuperstar]

same source

In the past eight years, Penélope Cruz has made a remarkable ascent to A-list status in Hollywood through her performances in Blow, All the Pretty Horses, and Vanilla Sky. Romances, and rumors of romances, have kept her in the tabloids, linking the Spanish beauty with Tom Cruise, Matthew McConaughey, Nicolas Cage, and Matt Damon, to name a few. But while she’s been solidly on the radar internationally for many years, right now Cruz is making US audiences consider her all over again thanks to her fierce and complex performance in Pedro Almodóvar’s Volver. When we spoke to Cruz, she was worn out from day after day of promotional interviews. “I’ve been very tired,” she admitted early in our conversation. “Very happy because everything is going so well, but very, very tired.” But, lucky for us, Cruz spent the day catching up on her rest, playing with her dogs, and answering our barrage of questions.
LOS ANGELES CONFIDENTIAL: Your role in Volver is so rich, sexy, and smart. But it seems as if American studios struggle to cast actors from other countries. Do you agree?
PENÉLOPE CRUZ: There is only a small group of us—people who have accents—who are working in America. But movies are supposed to reflect the reality of life. In a place like the United States, we are all mixed up together; you go to a coffee shop in New York [and] in five minutes you find 15 different accents. And then you work on an American movie and it’s very rare to have an actor with an accent. It’s not reflecting the reality of what’s in the streets.
LAC: Do you still feel like a European, an outsider in LA?
PC: I always feel wherever I go that I am a European, because that’s who I am and I don’t want to forget it. If you ignore who you really are, that’s a problem.
LAC: How would you compare the experience of fame in Europe to the experience of fame in the US?
PC: Fame is the same. It was scary when I was 16, but you learn to protect yourself.
LAC: How does it feel to have your body discussed in the media? For example, Pedro Almodóvar has been praising your cleavage in interviews.
PC: No, that’s something that Pedro said just to make me embarrassed. When we do interviews together, he loves doing that. After you do 15 interviews in one day, you have to start bringing in some action. He just makes me laugh. I feel complete trust in him; I love him so much.
LAC: Does your beauty ever prevent people from getting to know you? Can it be a distraction?
PC: I’ve never thought of myself like that. It would be egocentric. I feel like I am an actor and I can transform myself into whatever the character needs, and I don’t put my ego in the mix of that. I’ve never thought like that. That question always makes me laugh, because you know, what if I thought I was that beautiful? That would be pathetic. People have put those sentences in my mouth, wanting me to become that victim. All of those sentences about me wanting to be taken seriously, I never said anything like that. Oh, poor me. Do you know what I mean?
LAC: Sure.
PC: Because by talking about it, you make less of women. By making that an issue you make it sound like a problem, when that is not a problem. There are other problems in life.
LAC: You seem to have everything: enormous success, talent, beauty. What is it that you still want from life?
PC: Well, no one has everything. I’ve been very lucky in my life, being able to accomplish dreams that I’ve had since I was a little girl, being able to do the job I love so much. I love working…. In fact, I think I’m a little bit addicted to work, but it gives me a lot of happiness. Cinema is a beautiful art form and I’ve wanted to be a part of it all my life. I have people like Pedro believing in me and giving me roles where I can prove myself as an actress. You need somebody’s trust to get that kind of material. So as an actor, I feel very grateful.
LAC: In what ways has fame had an impact on your love life?
PC: My schedule has been kind of crazy. And my life is completely divided between two continents. That’s the part that makes it more tricky for your personal life. All of that makes it hard. But I think if one day I have a family, I will not work as much. I want to have children one day, and I want to keep working—but instead of making three or four movies a year like I’ve been doing, it will be one, or two maximum. I have my challenges like everyone else. I think we are all here on the same mission—to learn a few things, and remember a few things. Everyone has their own path. We are constantly changing. It is so misunderstood, the concept of change. As if it has to be a bad thing, when in fact it’s completely the opposite.
LAC: You’ve won the Goya, the Spanish equivalent of the Oscar. Would it be meaningful to you to win an Oscar?
PC: Very, very, very. It would make me very happy. I don’t want to play the game of lying, you know, pretending to be cool about it. Because this has never happened to a Spanish actress, in a Spanish-speaking performance. I’m trying not to think about it too much, which is not very easy. I’m not going to expect it. But it is exciting to be considered as a possible candidate. It’s a very exciting feeling. What can I say? What is happening right now is exciting.

 

[evisu donna]

LAC: Do you still feel like a European, an outsider in LA?
PC: I always feel wherever I go that I am a European, because that’s who I am and I don’t want to forget it. If you ignore who you really are, that’s a problem.

I love that she says that, don't know why.. I like it!

 

[dewi]

gorgeossssssssssss