In the competitive world of Hollywood, Penelope Cruz has still managed to emerge a record breaker. In 2009 she became the first Spanish actress to win an Academy Award for Vicky Cristina Barcelona. And this week she became the first to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
On Friday, the 36-year-old beauty was honoured at a special unveiling ceremony outside the El Capitan Theatre.
Looking radiant in a purple lace dress, a little over two months after welcoming her baby son, Penelope was supported on her "very special day" by her proud spouse Javier Bardem and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Strange Tides co-star Johnny Depp. Before her star was unveiled, the humbled brunette paid tribute to her family "and of course my wonderful husband and my son for making me so happy every day" in a gracious, and humorous, acceptance speech. She also honoured her American actor friend, whom she first worked alongside in the 2001 biopic Blow.
"I want to thank the man in the hat," she said. "Let me tell you about the man in the hat. I came to Los Angeles for the first time in 1994. I spoke no English. I only knew how to say two things, two sentences. One was 'How are you?', the other was, 'I want to work with Johnny Depp'. "In the last ten years, I have worked with him twice and that has improved my English. So now I know how to say, 'I want to work with Johnny Depp again'. "Thank you for your friendship, your talent. You are such an inspiration to us all."
Johnny was no less complimentary in his speech. Describing the Nine actress as a "magnificent and magical woman", he added that it was "a pleasure to be able to be here to celebrate this curious Spanish creature. "And he later paid tribute to Penelope in her most recent role – as a new mother. "She's an inconceivably phenomenal mummy which I've witnessed first hand, and it's pretty incredible," he said. "She's as loyal and true a friend as anyone could ever dream of and I'm very privileged to be able to have her in my life."