Penélope Cruz has reflected on the history-making Oscar wins she and her husband Javier Bardem achieved in back-to-back years, describing the milestone as an incredible coincidence that leaves their children struggling to comprehend how unusual the double victory truly was.
The celebrated acting couple, whose professional relationship spans decades, made Academy Award history when Javier Bardem won Best Supporting Actor at the 2008 ceremony before Penélope Cruz followed a year later with a Best Supporting Actress victory at the 2009 Academy Awards. Those victories also marked a national milestone, making Bardem the first Spaniard to claim an acting Oscar and Cruz the first Spanish actress to receive the honor.
Cruz Recalls Oscar History on Awards Chatter
Appearing on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, Cruz discussed the sequence of events with host Scott Feinberg. The conversation touched upon the improbability of two performers from the same country, who later married, securing consecutive supporting actor trophies in back-to-back years.
“And also, we don’t understand — like, how how crazy is that coincidence?”
Penélope Cruz, via Yahoo
Cruz noted that explaining the magnitude of these achievements to their children, son Leo, 15, and daughter Luna, 13, requires patience because growing up inside such an environment makes accomplishments feel commonplace to the next generation.
The thing is when you have to explain to your kids and you have to say, ‘It’s such a crazy coincidence that one day you will understand why.’ It’s just—because you cannot grow up thinking that that is normal. But how do you explain that?
Penélope Cruz, via Yahoo
She added that with time, their children will come to realize the rarity of the moment. The couple married in 2010, welcoming Leo in 2011 and Luna in 2013. Prior to their wins, Bardem triumphed for his portrayal of hitman Anton Chigurh in the Coen brothers’ No Country for Old Men, while Cruz won for her performance as María Elena in Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
Couple Traces Career From Jamón, Jamón to Bunker
The couple’s personal and professional connection stretches back far beyond their golden statuettes. They first crossed paths on the set of the 1992 Spanish film Jamón, Jamón, though their relationship remained strictly professional for many years before they reconnected.
Romance blossomed after they reunited on screen for Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, the very project that earned Cruz her historic Best Supporting Actress win. During her acceptance speech at the 2009 ceremony, she offered a direct nod to her co-star and future husband alongside her fellow nominees and the movie’s ensemble.
She noted that this longstanding partnership allows them to tackle complex roles with a level of comfort and understanding where they know the other person is there for them during scary scenes. Beyond their shared trophies, Cruz also earned nominations for Volver, Nine, and Parallel Mothers, while Bardem earned nods for Before Night Falls, Biutiful, and Being the Ricardos.