Penélope Cruz Needed to Be Picked Up From the Floor After Filming a ‘Parallel Mothers’ Scene

Penélope Cruz has been in the entertainment business for a long time and has been involved in dozens of critically-acclaimed movies. A Spanish actor who has appeared in everything from action flicks to dramas, Cruz has also worked as a model and advocate. Her most recent project, a movie called Parallel Mothers, reunited Cruz with her longtime collaborator, director Pedro Almodóvar. In a December 2021 interview, not long after the film’s theatrical release in Spain, Cruz opened up about the experience, revealing how Almodóvar always supports her on set, even physically “picking her up off the floor” following one very difficult scene. 

What did Penélope Cruz say about being ‘picked up from the floor’ after a scene in ‘Parallel Mothers’?

Penélope Cruz and Pedro Almodóvar have worked together on a total of seven films, and have become incredibly close – both as friends and as professional collaborators. In a December interview, Cruz revealed that she counts on Almodóvar for advice and support. “You have to really, really go there with no fear,” Cruz said of diving into her role in Parallel Mothers. “But he’s always there to pick me up, literally, pick me up from the floor one time in one of these scenes. I just couldn’t come out of the scene.”

Cruz went on to describe what it’s like to go to such deep, dark places for the sake of the story: “When that happens, it’s scary, but it’s also a great feeling of ‘OK, we really went to a place where we were supposed to go to tell this story.'”

What is Penélope Cruz’s role in ‘Parallel Mothers’?

Parallel Mothers features Penélope Cruz in the role of Janis, a woman who becomes pregnant by accident, according to IMDb. At the hospital where she goes to have her baby, Janis encounters a young woman named Ana, a teenager who is also unexpectedly pregnant. The two develop an intense connection that will go on to change both of their lives in a profound way. 

The movie was released in Spain in October 2021 and quickly started receiving attention. Critics have praised Parallel Mothers for the writing as well as the acting, with The Guardian calling out the film for being a “moving melodrama.” The review calls out the storyline, praising the “sheer poetic conviction” of the story and recommending the movie as an “emotional experience” that many viewers will be able to appreciate. 

Where can fans watch ‘Parallel Mothers’?

Penélope Cruz has developed a great deal of trust in Pedro Almodóvar, and has admitted that she prefers to “surrender” herself to the acting process when she works with the acclaimed filmmaker. In an interview with NPR, Cruz revealed “I don’t work with my acting teacher when I’m with Pedro because I arrive to the set, like, empty, from zero. I read the story. I start – of course, I cannot stop thinking about it after I read it and I come with proposals or ideas of how I see it.”

The actor went on to note that filming Parallel Mothers was an intensely emotional experience, recalling that she was “touched and affected” by the script and that several times after reading her lines, she would “immediately start crying.” The experience of filming the movie ended up paying off big time for Cruz. Not only did she receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her work in Parallel Mothers, but the movie is also nominated for Best Original Score.

Fans who want to see what all the buzz is about can catch Parallel Mothers in select movie theaters and on-demand through their cable provider.