INTERVIEWING SPANISH ACTORS...

PENÉLOPE CRUZ on ELLEN and DAVID LETTERMAN

Penélope Cruz (born April 28, 1974) is a Spanish actress. She gathered critical acclaim as a young actress for films such as Jamón, jamón, The Girl of Your Dreams, and Belle Époque. She has also starred in several American films such as Blow, Vanilla Sky, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and Nine. She is perhaps best known for her work with acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, in Broken Embraces, Volver and All About My Mother. Cruz has been awarded three Goyas, two European Film Awards, and the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2009, she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, a Goya, and a BAFTA for her role in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. She is Spain's first female Oscar winner. She was nominated for her third Academy Award in 2010 for her role as Carla Albanese in the film version of the musical Nine.

           

JAVIER BARDEM on TIME

An Oscar winner for his chilling performance as Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men (and the first Spaniard nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for Before Night Falls), Javier Bardem stars as the romantic lead in Woody Allen's latest film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Here he answers questions from TIME readers.

                      

ANTONIO BANDERAS on ELLEN

Antonio Banderas, born August 10, 1960, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer. He began his acting career at age 19 with a series of films by director Pedro Almodóvar and then appeared in high-profile Hollywood films including Assassins, Evita, Interview with the Vampire, Philadelphia, Desperado, The Mask of Zorro, Spy Kids and the Shrek sequels. He also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 6801 Hollywood Blvd in 2005. He divorced his first wife, Ana G. Leza, and in May 1996 married Melanie Griffith. whom he met a year earlier when they shot Two Much. They have a daughter, Stella Banderas, born in 1998, who appeared in the film Crazy in Alabama (1999), in which Griffith starred and which Banderas directed.

           


PAZ VEGA

Vega, the daughter of a bullfighter, was inspired to become an actress by a theatre visit when she was 15. She trained at the prestigious Centro Andaluz de Teatro and her big break came with the series "7 Vidas," a Spanish Friends-style sitcom. The show's domestic popularity saw her become one of the country's biggest television stars, and she was spotted by Mateo Gil, who gave her a leading role in his Spanish thriller, "Nadie conoce a nadie" ("Nobody knows anybody").
Paz Vega (Spanglish) interview at "Cat Run" world premiere red carpet arrivals at Arclight Cinemas in Los Angeles, California USA March 29, 2011 - Interview by Erica Rhodes

          


ELSA PATAKI

Elsa Pataky grew up in Madrid and attended the Universidad de San Pablo CEU where she studied journalism and began to take an interest in acting. She joined Teatro Cámara de Ángel Gutiérrez, a theater company in Madrid, and left college when she was offered a role in the long-running Spanish TV series "Al salir de clase" (1997).