Penelope Cruz filmed “La Bola Negra” fearing aneurysm!
Penelope later confirmed it was a false alarm.
Cannes, France, May 22 (EFE).-
Spanish actress Penélope Cruz says she filmed part of “La Bola Negra,” fearing she might have a brain aneurysm, after receiving a call from her doctor shortly before shooting one of the movie’s key scenes.
“I started crying,” Cruz said during a press conference alongside the film’s cast and directors at the Cannes Film Festival.
The film premiered Wednesday night at the Palais des Festivals and received a standing ovation lasting more than 15 minutes, reportedly one of the longest in the festival’s history.
Cruz said she received the alarming call from her doctor just days before undergoing medical tests that later confirmed it had been a “false alarm.”
At the time, she was preparing to shoot one of the film’s most emblematic scenes, in which her character, Nené, a vaudeville performer, sings for soldiers while standing atop a tank.
Because the doctor assured her she could continue working, Cruz decided not to inform directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, collectively known as “Los Javis,” until after completing the scene, which had already required five hours of preparation involving numerous extras.
She later confided in only a few members of the production team until medical tests ruled out the condition.
“It’s one of the most surreal moments I can remember,” said the Oscar-winning actress for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” recalling herself atop the tank “thinking I had an aneurysm.”
Cruz said she originally intended to keep the experience private but ultimately decided to speak about it publicly in Cannes to illustrate the emotional intensity that can arise during filmmaking.
“I think sometimes these things need to be told,” she said. “Things we experience together, and we have to keep moving forward.”
“Wanting to be part of something important”
Cruz described herself as “a big fan” of Los Javis and said she had long wanted to collaborate with them.
That is why she immediately accepted the relatively small role they offered her in their second feature film, even though the creators of the series La Mesías initially worried the role might be too limited for an actress of her stature.
But Cruz said she chooses projects based not on screen time, but on “wanting to be part of something that matters to you.”
“I knew in my heart that it was something important,” she said, adding that the film’s impact could extend beyond Spain.
She praised the directors for creating what she described as “something very big,” saying the movie could introduce younger audiences to the work of Spanish poet and playwright Federico García Lorca.
Cruz also highlighted her character’s embodiment of “the possibility of freedom,” a theme she said resonates deeply with her personal sensitivity to injustice.
She credited many of the defining roles in her career, especially those directed by Pedro Almodóvar, whom she described as her “mentor,” with allowing her to explore those themes.
Reflecting on her long relationship with Cannes, Cruz said returning to the festival is always “special,” recalling her first appearance there at age 25 and memorable moments such as the premiere of Volver in 2006, for which she shared the Best Actress award with her co-stars.
“But it’s true that last night’s screening reminded me of some of the strongest moments I’ve experienced here,” she said.
“I’m not old enough to be your mother, don’t get me wrong,” she said with a smile, joking with the directors and younger actors beside her at the press conference. EFE
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