Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz's Love Story Started 15 Years After They First Met

Elle

21-07-2025

THE RUNDOWN
Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem have starred in multiple films together, before and after beginning their marriage of over a decade. They first met in the early '90s on the set of Jamón, Jamón, but their relationship didn't take a romantic turn until more than 15 years later when they starred in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
Though the pair has made many public appearances together, they have spoken about their relationship sparingly. In 2019, Cruz told Tatler that they made a decision, 'a really good decision for us, not to talk about our relationship. It would feel very strange to do it a different way. I just couldn't do it.'
Here is what is known of Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem's relationship timeline.
Cruz and Bardem were cast in the film Jamón, Jamón in 1992, one of Cruz's first films. They did not connect romantically, but there was definitely an early awareness of each other.
'She was 17, and I was 22,' Bardem told Gentleman's Journal in 2024. 'It was her first movie; one of my first movies. A big movie. We met on the wardrobe test, where we looked at each other, and I guess something happened. Something that doesn't have any explanation and goes beyond logic and reasoning. But, back in the day, we had different lives, different objectives, aims and goals. Yet, something was there—an energy, a chemistry, a way to rely on each other as human beings. And that stayed for so long, even though we didn't see each other or speak to each other for many years.'
In 2017, he told British GQ, 'There was obvious chemistry between us. I mean, it's all there on film; it's like a document of our passion. One day we're going to have to show the kids—imagine! 'Mommy, Daddy, what did you do in the movies together?' 'Well, my children, you should celebrate this movie as you're here because of it!' It was a very sexy film. It still is. Penélope's parents were brave to allow her to do that film. If my daughter at 16 came to me with a script like that I'd have said no fucking way!'
Their different lives intersected again when they were both cast in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Things seemed to heat up on set quickly. In fall 2007, Page Six reported, 'Penelope Cruz has a new man, but she's being very coy about the relationship. Cruz showed up at the New York Film Festival this weekend with Javier Bardem, and the two were 'very touchy-feely' our spy said. 'They held hands when they thought no one was watching, and she kissed his cheek, and he put his arm around her.''
In October 2007, Just Jared shared photos of them on a romantic getaway in the Maldives.
In his GQ interview, Bardem explained how he and Cruz both felt sparks on set in their new movie.
'Neither of us would make the first move. I don't know if we were shy or trying to be too professional,' the actor shared. 'Anyway, it got to the very last day of filming, and nothing had happened. So I thought, 'Fuck! We better get drunk!' Luckily a friend of ours threw a wrap party and, well, the rest is history. Thank god!'
He also praised Cruz, comparing her to her character in the film, Maria Elana.
'Oh, boy. She has that feistiness,' he said. 'There are those scenes where we are arguing, she's throwing plates and so on. I had to wonder, 'Do I really want this?' She has what I call the loving blood. Passion for everything. That's what I find attractive. There is beauty, and there is being sexy. Penélope has both.'
Cruz won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for playing Maria Elana in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. She credited the cast in her acceptance speech, including Bardem, saying, 'I want to share this with my fellow nominees and with the amazing ensemble of actors that I had the privilege to work with in this movie.'
In 2009, they reportedly got engaged, but they kept the moment private.
They attended the 2010 Goya Awards Gala in Madrid, Spain. Cruz was nominated that night for a Best Actress award for her role in Broken Embraces.
Bardem won Best Actor at the 63rd Annual Cannes Film Festival for his role in Biutiful, and said in his acceptance speech, 'I share this joy with my friend, my companion, my love: Penélope. I owe you a lot, and I love you so much.'
The couple were married in the Bahamas in the home of a family friend, and Cruz wore a John Galliano dress.
A rep for Cruz confirmed she was pregnant in fall 2010.
Their son, Leo Encinas Cruz, was born on Jan. 25, 2011.
The next month, they were at the Academy Awards.
Cruz received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in April 2011. During her speech, Cruz said, 'Every time I look at that star, I will see the names of all the people that have helped me make many of my dreams a reality.'
She then thanked her husband and son 'for making me happy every day.'
They made an appearance at the Toronto International Film Festival in fall 2012, one of their few public events that year.
In a cover story that month for GQ, Bardem made some rare comments about his marriage, saying, 'I'm happily married. I breathe and stay in peace. I truly thank whoever's up there for giving me the opportunity to be loved.'
Of having a child, he said, 'You feel like you know shit, and you discover everything again, through his eyes.'
That year, the couple reunited in Ridley Scott's The Counselor, though they were not cast as love interests.
In February 2013, Cruz confirmed to Hola Magazine that she was expecting a second child, adding that she is 'tremendously happy and excited.'
Their daughter, Luna Encinas Cruz, was born on July 22, 2013, in Madrid.
In an interview with The Guardian, Cruz spoke about her children, saying, 'The biggest feelings I have ever experienced come from the way my children look at me. Being a mother is seeing life from a different point of view, as if you were a child again. Even your relationship with nature changes; it's like you can see a tree through new eyes.'
The couple joined U2 onstage in Barcelona. People reported the pair got dressed up, with Cruz wearing a blonde wig and bunny ears, while Bardem wore a feather boa and cowboy hat. The actor began 'play-flirting with Bono,' and the 'antics caused Cruz to act jokingly jealous, pretending to be angry with her husband and miming to the U2 frontman that she had her eyes on him.'
Once again, Cruz and Bardem played characters in the same film, starring in 2017's biopic Loving Pablo.
They promoted the movie at the 65th San Sebastian Film Festival.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Bardem talked about creating separation between life on set and life at home when they work together.
'I think whatever you do in your daily life, whatever job you do...you're lucky to have a job, first of all,' he explained. 'You bring it home. You have a bad day in your profession, you will go back home, and you will be touched or moved by how the day went for better or worse. It is the same for any actor, but the important thing is to know that there's a division, clear division, between fiction and reality. In other words, we know that what is going on there is all fiction-related… There is nothing there that has anything to do with who we are as real people.'
Of working with Cruz, he said, 'It was easy working with Penélope. She is a great actress, and we can always challenge one another to go farther, deeper, bigger, and smaller. She can immediately tell what I'm doing, where I'm going. We know how to play with each other and try different things. All it takes is a little look or a word here and there. So we pushed each other to be more daring... That confidence that we have in each other is a great thing.'
They starred together again in 2018's Everybody Knows. Talking to Variety, Cruz said she and Bardem received equal pay for the movie. She also shared more about their process on set.
'We don't take the characters home at the end of the day,' she said. 'We have similar ways of work. The fact that we know each other and trust each other helps.'
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Cruz talked about working with Bardem again.
'I really respect his opinion—obviously his is one of the most important opinions in my life,' she shared. 'You are doing your work in front of this other person who is [on-screen] not your husband. You feel a little more observed [than you would with different co-stars], but you know you are being observed by someone who you trust, who has your back.'
Talking to Marie Claire, Cruz explained how they choose projects. It was unusual for them to work on two back-to-back films.
'Obviously we can't choose parts just for logistical reasons, like, 'Oh, let's work together more often because it's easier.' No. In fact, it's not something we want to do that often, partly out of a desire to protect what we have. On the one hand, it's easier because you know that person, he knows you, and the way you work is very similar,' Cruz said.
She also said of their kids, 'The thing is, I never speak about the children in interviews. I don't care if people think I'm strange; that's sacred for me.'
In September 2019, Cruz won the Donostia award at the 67th San Sebastian Film Festival, dedicating the win to her parents, children, and her husband.
The couple shared a passionate kiss during the closing ceremony of the 78th Venice International Film Festival in September 2021.
Talking to Rita Braver of CBS Sunday Morning, Cruz shared why she keeps her kids off ofsocial media.
'There is something that is not making sense, and it's especially affecting younger generations,' she said. 'I feel really bad for the ones that are teenagers now. It's almost [as] if the world was doing some kind of experiment on them. 'Oh, let's see what happens if you expose a 12-year-old to that much technology.''
In January 2022, Cruz talked to Harper's Bazaar about becoming a mom.
'Even for someone like me, who has been very clear about wanting children ever since I was a little girl, dreaming about that—still, those first few days and months are so shocking, no?' she said. 'But it's the best thing, because it means you'll never put yourself first again. To always think about somebody else first is so healthy, and it's where a lot of happiness can come from.'
She said to Vogue in an interview that she and Bardem spent lockdown during COVID trying to offer their children a sense of security.
'When you have children, most of your attention goes to them, to make sure that it's not a traumatic experience and that they know enough about what's happening so that they are responsible in terms of protecting themselves and others,' she shared. 'I feel like all the kids in the world have given adults a lesson in responsibility, empathy, and compassion. They've understood everything so quickly.'
She added, 'When I tell them that our generation never went through anything like this as kids or teenagers, they can't believe it. They're like, 'Really?' But, I have hope that we're now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. We don't know, but I need to believe that.'
That month, they attended the Goya Awards, and Bardem won for Best Actor. In his speech, he said, 'I want to dedicate this award to Penélope who is the woman I love, respect, admire, and celebrate every day.'
Both Cruz and Bardem were nominated for an Oscar in 2022, for their roles in Parallel Mothers and Being the Ricardos, respectively.
'It makes it very special,' Bardem told People. 'I mean, the fact that we are both nominated...in the same year, it's something that is really unique.'
'It was crazy; it was beautiful,' Cruz said. 'I still, today, don't believe that it has happened that way."
She added, 'When they announced Javier's name for Best Actor, I started to scream, and he was not moving, not reacting! He was waiting because he thought maybe they were going to say my name too, and I said, 'One, almost impossible. Two at the same time? Totally impossible.' Then they said my name, and that is when he started screaming! I loved his reaction so much, all my attention went to his generosity…what a beautiful reaction and so honest; he really could not enjoy his news until he heard my name.'
The pair went viral in a video of them dancing at a Bad Bunny concert for Cruz's 50th birthday.
They attended the 72nd San Sebastian International Film Festival.