Ever since her explosive feature debut at the age of 18, Penélope Cruz’s screen presence has been nothing short of exhilarating. The Madrid native’s innate glamour certainly helps, but it’s also her ability to keep us guessing that enthrals audiences. She can go from fiery to startlingly vulnerable in seconds; dart effortlessly between Spanish, Italian, French and English-language projects; and craft characters with precision and nuance, a skill which has so far earned her an Oscar, a BAFTA and three Goya Awards.
As her latest film, Florian Zeller’s , in which she stars opposite her husband, Javier Bardem, premieres at the Venice Film Festival, we revisit her 11 most memorable performances to date.
The actor burst onto the scene as a fresh-faced teen who falls for the heir to an underwear empire (Jordi Mollà) in Bigas Luna’s surreal romp. When his disapproving mother hires a ham delivery driver (Cruz’s future husband, Javier Bardem) to seduce her, hilarity ensues.
On the eve of the Spanish Civil War, a deserter meets a painter and proceeds to romance each of his four daughters in Fernando Trueba’s surprisingly sweet satire. Cruz is enchanting as the youngest, a naïve country girl with whom he finally settles down.
The Girl of Your Dreams (1998)
Reuniting with Trueba for this sweeping period piece following a Spanish film crew in Nazi Germany, Cruz plays an Andalusian siren who catches the eye of Joseph Goebbels. She’s fierce yet fearful, charming critics and securing her first Goya Award in the process.
Raimunda, the endlessly resourceful heroine of Pedro Almodóvar’s glorious melodrama, remains one of Cruz’s most complex creations – a resilient, compassionate and outspoken matriarch who must protect her daughter when she stabs her abusive father to death.
A force of nature is the best way to describe María Elena, the chain-smoking, volatile, vampish ex-wife of Javier Bardem’s sultry Juan Antonio in this sun-soaked rom-com. Despite her limited screen time, Cruz steals the show and snagged a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.
As the charismatic, chameleonic Lena, an aspiring actress who flees her possessive lover to begin a new life with a revered auteur in Almodóvar’s atmospheric noir, the actor radiates star power. When the plot hurtles towards tragedy, you hope against hope that she survives.
Rob Marshall’s Felliniesque musical leaves much to be desired, but it worth watching for Cruz’s sizzling performance as Carla, the bewitching and later anguished mistress of Daniel Day-Lewis’s eccentric Italian director – not to mention her Sophia Loren-worthy wardrobe.
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018)
With a platinum-blonde wig, chunky gold jewellery, oversized sunglasses and skin-tight leather dresses, the actor transforms into Donatella Versace as she attempts to process the death of her beloved brother in the nine-part thriller. She manages to be both steely and touchingly sensitive.
In Almodóvar’s ravishing soap opera, the delightfully twisty tale of two women who meet in a maternity ward, Cruz’s turn as a photographer who begins to doubt her child’s parentage is one of her best yet. From her initial insouciance to the glimmers of discontent and the heart-wrenching climax, she’s masterful.
Michael Mann’s blistering, full-throttle biopic about the life of Enzo Ferrari, the racing enthusiast who built an automotive empire, as embodied by Adam Driver, wouldn’t be the same without Cruz’s heartbreaking powerhouse of a performance as the mogul’s estranged wife, Laura. Still grieving the loss of their young son and grappling with her husband’s infidelities, she’s a tornado of rage and sorrow – and the one who holds the key to their future. It’s impossible to take your eyes off her.
Once again proving her comedic chops, the actor brings the house down in this raucous four-hander about a bickering couple (Seth Rogen and Olivia Wilde, the latter of whom also directs) who have their free-spirited neighbours (Cruz and a hilariously zen Edward Norton) over for drinks. As the no-nonsense, razor-sharp, sultry sexologist who lobs grenade after grenade into her new friends’ marriage, she’s an absolute riot.