Penélope Cruz, an actress recognized for being one of the great film stars both inside and outside of Spain, has revealed in an interview for Elle magazine that she tried to adopt a child during her volunteer work in Calcutta (India). The actress, who at that time was only 20 years old, tried to become a mother after her experience as a volunteer in an NGO in the country. “It couldn’t be,” Penelope said after clarifying, without explaining why, that the adoption could not take place.
The Madrid actress is currently the mother of two children, Leo and Luna, with her husband, actor Javier Bardem. However, during the interview in which she discussed topics such as her life with the actor or the day-to-day life that she shares with her children, she could not help but remember her hard time in India.
“I went to Calcutta when I was 20 and worked in Mother Teresa’s houses. She was a volunteer and I found babies lying on the sidewalk while her parents were out there begging,” the actress said. According to Penelope, her trip to India changed her life, and it also allowed her to meet her mother Teresa: “She is the person who has impressed me the most in my life.”
The couple met in 1992 when they both coincided in the filming of the well-known movie Jamón, jamón, where Penélope was 17 years old. The woman from Madrid got married seventeen years after her volunteer work in Calcutta after living a love story with Javier Bardem that began in 2007. However, the wedding did not come until 2010, at which time they celebrated an intimate wedding in Bahamas.
A year after their wedding, Leo, the couple’s first child, was born, who became an older brother in 2013 with the arrival of Luna. Since their debut as parents, the acting couple has tried to be present as much as possible in their children’s lives despite their busy schedules.
Although they both share a fast pace of life, the actress strictly follows one condition when accepting new projects: her work depends on the needs of her children. The actress has assured that her participation in new filming never occurs during the school year or outside the city where her family resides.
Penelope has even taken round-trip flights from destinations like Los Angeles in the same day. “I don’t regret prioritizing my family. They are always my absolute priority,” she stated, proud of having been able to establish her own working conditions and to share as much time as she can with her children.
Furthermore, as she acknowledged in a recent interview with Pablo Motos, she and Bardem have a non-negotiable rule that they both must follow: not to talk about their children or expose them until they themselves have the ability to decide whether to make themselves known or remain anonymous. .
