Penelope Cruise will be in the UAE this week to attend Chanel’s cruise 2021/22 replica show in Dubai. This is her third visit to the emirate and to coincide with her trip, the Oscar-winning actress is appearing on the cover of Vogue Arabia’s November issue.
In the corresponding interview, Cruz, who lives in Madrid with her two children and husband Javier Bardem, discusses the most important role she has ever played. “My priority is being a mother, so I’m blessed I can work while keeping my family the priority,” she says.
“I don’t think of myself as a role model for anyone other than my children, as they see me every day, and the actions of their mother and father are the most important to them. This is a huge responsibility, and my biggest mission in life is to try to do that well.”
The actress also talks about her close relationship with director Pedro Almodovar, with whom she has made eight films. Their latest collaboration, Parallel Mothers, resulted in Cruz being named Best Actress at this year’s Venice Film Festival.
“I feel very grateful for all the characters Pedro gave me, as they allow me to do things I’ve never done before. We’ve worked together eight times and it’s always a big and complex challenge,” she says.
Cruz has a long-standing relationship with Chanel and has been an ambassador for the brand since 2018. “I feel I was always connected to the brand, as I’m really Chanel’s biggest fan. Even since I was a little girl, I always dreamed of wearing their clothes,” she says.
She also had a close friendship with the brand’s former creative director, the late Karl Lagerfeld, and walked the runway for Chanel’s autumn/winter 2019 show immediately after his death. “It was really difficult not to cry while walking. I remember the runway was very long, and that feeling that I had to make it until the end,” she recalls.
“After I finished, I saw Marion Cotillard in the hallway behind, and we just hugged each other and burst into tears. There were so many people there that loved him and worked with him for 40 years. It was really magical, and it felt like time had stopped.”
