Penélope Cruz: I was a drama queen

Penélope Cruz had “an attraction to drama” when she was growing up.

The Oscar-winning actress has a solid, settled family life with her husband Javier Bardem and their two children, son Leonardo, three, and daughter Luna, 14 months. But when she was younger, it was a completely different story.

“I’ve played a lot of tricks on myself,” she revealed to Esquire. “I’ve made it hard for me sometimes, especially in my teens and twenties. I had an attraction to drama.”

This dramatic flair no doubt helped the Spanish actress become the success she is. After years spent working in films in her home country, her breakthrough into mainstream movies came in 2001 when she appeared alongside Tom Cruise - who she later dated - in Vanilla Sky. Penélope now understands why she made life so difficult for her younger self, but it doesn’t remotely appeal to her to behave that way now.

“Most of us have that [attraction to drama], especially if you are an artist - you feel like you are tempted to explore the darkness,” she explained. “I could not be less interested now. For me, the most attractive, charming, cool, fun, interesting thing - how could I call it' A plan.”

Recently, that has involved focusing on her young family. However, she has also just completed a Spanish language film called Ma Ma, but details are being kept closely under wraps by the actress. Penélope recently revealed how much acting has taken a backseat now that she has become a parent.

“From the moment I became a mother, my whole attitude changed," she marvelled to the German Tele 5 channel. “Suddenly I saw the world with different eyes and came to thinking about my own childhood. From the very first second, you experience this love you've never known before. And it's this love that changes you in a matter of seconds."