On her post-Oscars ritual: When it was over, she headed over to In-N-Out Burger, still wrapped in her vintage white Balmain gown. "You have to remove the tight dress to eat a Double Double monster cheeseburger with everything on it," she says.The post-Oscar In-N-Out burger has become a ritual. It's happened after each of her nominations--the hungry Spanish bombshell at the drive-through.
On motherhood: To date, Cruz hasn't talked at all about her son in public. But it's clear his impact is profound. "From the first second, you feel so much love," she says. "It is a revolutionary experience. That's the best way I can describe it. It transforms you completely, in a second. Nature is very wise and gives you nine months to prepare, but in that moment--when you see that face, you are transformed forever. Even if you have heard from all your friends and family, ‘This is what’s going to happen,’ until it happens to you, it’s hard to understand in your soul."
On wanting to keep her family’s life private: “I want my son - and my kids if I have more - to grow up in a way that is as anonymous as possible. The fact that his father and I have chosen to do the work that we do doesn’t give anybody the right to invade our privacy.”
On her love of Karaoke: She adores it the way a first-grader adores a golden-retriever puppy--in an unself-conscious, non-ironic way. She will sing "Hollaback Girl," by Gwen Stefani, and, if she is so compelled, "Without Me," by Eminem. (Opening lyrics: "Two trailer-park girls go round the outside/Round the outside/Round the outside.") Karaoke is a non-negotiable part of the Penélope Cruz experience. "I've gone to karaoke bars in almost every city I have been to," she says. "Every time I am on a movie location, we find a karaoke bar and take the crew."
Credit @ Mario Testino / Vogue
