When we met her, Penelope Cruz had been playing on the beach with Mongoli and Madhumita, two children from the Sabera foundation of which she is a spokeswoman. In the afternoon, she showed them around Universal Studios. Then, at the end of the long, magical day, she settled down to tell us about the most precious things in her life. And Tom Cruise comes high on that list.
When you began shooting Vanilla Sky with Tom, you described him as a “very generous man”. Now you’re in a relationship with him, what else would you add?
“I still think the same: that Tom is one of the most generous people I know. He has an enormous heart, he is very intelligent and he has a great sense of humour. He’s a very special man.”
Do you see yourself having children one day?
“One day I’d love to. But not yet. Of course it’s in my mind to have children. I’ve felt a maternal instinct since I was 13. But it’s not the right time.”
Years ago you said that making it in Hollywood was not your main aim. Did you change your mind or was it simply a chain of good luck?
“If by luck you mean it came easily, then that hasn’t been the case. From the beginning it was very hard work. But the most important thing is I feel the same as when I started out: lucky to be able to dedicate my time to something I like. And that’s the big excitement, and one which I haven’t lost sight of and never want to.
“Yes, I’m having a good life, things are happening and I’m very grateful. But I also put in a lot of effort, within a pressured and stressful environment. To be in the business, you really have to like it, because when you’re shooting you’re working 18 hours a day.“However, I recognise there’s been a kind of current that has carried me.”
You told us a few months back that you don’t base your happiness on money or fame. On what do you base it?
“Of course, there are things that make life easier in this society. But I base my happiness on something I try and remember every day: not to take for granted a single dish of food on the table. Nor getting up every day to do a job you like, which allows you to live – and live well.”
You must feel very proud to have brought the Sabera Foundation to Hollywood´s attention?
“It hasn’t just been thanks to me, but to the hard work and effort of everyone involved. We’ve shown the documentary to friends and acquaintances here: they’ve all reacted positively and have shown themselves very keen to help.
“Thanks to our fundraising work in Spain we’ve gone from helping 35 girls to helping 79. And now we’ve got the chance to double that figure again. At the start we were just a group of friends with nothing. Now I reckon in four years’ time we’ll be caring for 400 or 500 girls, some of whom will be adolescents by then and in a position to help teach other street children themselves. The idea is the older girls become tutors to the younger ones.”
Finally, you considered delaying the Sabera Foundation’s presentation following the September 11 terrorist attacks. What made you go ahead?
“In the end we realised that if we called a halt, we were allowing those people, responsible for thousands of deaths and whose only interest is destruction, to destroy something destined to help children who have nothing and whose situation needs highlighting.
“I actually think it is the moment to do things like this. It’s an alarming time: we either realise fast that as inhabitants of this planet we’re all in the same boat, or it may be too late.”
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
