Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem Relationship's History
The Spanish actors met in 1992 and secretly married in 2010.
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Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz met on the set of Jamón Jamón, a Spanish film, way back in 1992. They didn't reconnect until years later, when they were filming Vicky Cristina Barcelona in 2007, but once they reunited, they realized they were meant to be.
And in 2022, they joined an elite list of just six married couples who have been nominated for acting Oscars together in the same year—Bardem for best actor for playing Desi Arnaz in Being the Ricardos, and Cruz for best actress for her role in Parallel Mothers. After the nominations came out, Bardem said, "I couldn’t be happier to share this celebration with my talented wife, Penélope." While neither won in their respective categories, it was still a big night for both of them.
Bardem and Cruz, are a remarkably private couple for their decades in Hollywood; they married secretly in 2010, have two children together, Leo and Luna, and they live in a suburb of Madrid, in their native country of Spain. Here, the definitive Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem relationship timeline—complete with nearly every public appearance they've ever made together, and basically every single thing the notoriously private Spaniards have said about each other.
1992
Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem meet while filming Jamón Jamón in 1992, but they won't start dating until years later. At the time, Cruz is just 16.
“There was obvious chemistry between us," Javier told GQ UK years later. "I mean, it’s all there on film; it’s like a document of our passion. One day we’re going to have to show the kids – imagine! ‘Mummy, Daddy, what did you do in the movies together?’- ‘Well, my children, you should celebrate this movie as you’re here because of it!’ It was a very sexy film. It still is. Penélope’s parents were brave to allow her to do that film – if my daughter at 16 came to me with a script like that I’d have said no f***ing way!”
Summer 2007
Javier and Penélope reunite while filming Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
"Neither of us would make the first move. I don’t know if we were shy or trying to be too professional," Javier later recalled. "Anyway, it got to the very last day of filming and nothing had happened. So I thought, ‘F***! We better get drunk!’ Luckily a friend of ours threw a wrap party and, well, the rest is history. Thank god!"
Late 2007
Dating rumors between Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem start surfacing in fall 2007. One Page Six report reads, "Penelope Cruz has a new man, but she’s being very coy about the relationship. Cruz showed up at the New York Film Festival this weekend with Javier Bardem, and the two were 'very touchy-feely' our spy said. 'They held hands when they thought no one was watching, and she kissed his cheek, and he put his arm around her.'"
Paparazzi photos capture them on the beach in the Maldives, having a romantic getaway in October.
August 4, 2008
The two go through the Vicky Cristina Barcelona press tour denying dating rumors—yet they are photographed together numerous time over the year.
Javier would later say Penélope has the same fiery spirit as her character in the film, Maria Elana. He said, "Oh, boy. She has that feistiness. There are those scenes where we are arguing, she’s throwing plates and so on. I had to wonder, ‘Do I really want this?’ She has what I call the loving blood. Passion for everything. That’s what I find attractive. There is beauty and there is being sexy. Penélope has both."
February 22, 2009
Penélope wins the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. In her acceptance speech, she says, "I want to share this with my fellow nominees and with the amazing ensemble of actors that I had the privilege to work with in this movie."
Later that year, Penélope and Javier would reportedly get engaged—but they had yet to confirm any dating rumors. Paparazzi photos from December 2009 capture the couple walking in Los Angeles and scuba diving in Fernando De Noronha Island, Brazil.
January 18, 2010
A year and a half after the premiere of Vicky Cristina Barcelona, the two are spotted together attending a Lakers game in Los Angeles.
Penélope would later reveal almost a decade later that early on in their relationship, they made a decision not to share anything publicly. The privacy decision, she told Tatler, was "a really good decision for us, not to talk about our relationship. It would feel very strange to do it a different way. I just couldn’t do it."
February 14, 2010
They make their first official appearance as a couple at the 2010 Goya Awards! At this point, they had been together 3 years, but had yet to attend a professional event together.
March 7, 2010
After they go to the Goya Awards in Spain, Cruz and Bardem attend the 2010 Academy Awards. They don't walk the red carpet together, but here, they're pictured backstage.
March 19, 2010
They attend another Lakers game. Javier, once again, wore a black cap that covered most of his face.
May 23, 2010
At the 63rd Annual Cannes Film Festival, Javier speaks publicly about Penélope for the first time. He wins best actor for his role in Biutiful, and in his acceptance speech, he says, "I share this joy with my friend, my companion, my love: Penelope. I owe you a lot and I love you so much."
Sometime in July 2010, Penélope and Javier get married. They have a small, private wedding in the Bahamas at a friend's house.
December 25, 2010
2010 was the year of Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem's public debut as a couple, and they chose Lakers games for the majority of their appearances. Here, Penélope is eight months pregnant; they welcome their first child, Leo, in January 2011.
“Even for someone like me, who has been very clear about wanting children ever since I was a little girl, dreaming about that – still, those first few days and months are so shocking, no?” Penélope told Harper's Bazaar years later. “But it’s the best thing, because it means you’ll never put yourself first again. To always think about somebody else first is so healthy, and it’s where a lot of happiness can come from.”
February 27, 2011
New parents took a night out! Here, Javier and Penélope Cruz arrived at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards—it's Penélope's first event after giving birth in January. Javier was nominated for his role in Biutiful, but lost.
At the 2011 Goya Awards, Javier won Best Actor, he shouted out Penélope (who didn't attend) and their son Leo: "I dedicate it to my wife and son awakening my heart and smile every day."
April 1, 2011
Penélope Cruz receives her star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, in a ceremony attended by Javier, along with Jerry Bruckheimer, Johnny Depp, and Rob Marshall.
In her speech, Penélope thanks Javier and Leo for "for making me happy every day."
April 14, 2011
Penélope Cruz (far left) and Javier Bardem (right) dance on stage while Prince performs during his "Welcome 2 America" tour.
September 13, 2012
They appear at an event together for the first time in over a year, attending the Toronto International Film Festival.
"I'm happily married. I breathe and stay in peace. I truly thank whoever's up there for giving me the opportunity to be loved," Javier said in a cover story for GQ in September 2012. And of their son, Leo, he said: "You feel like you know shit, and you discover everything again, through his eyes."
September 22, 2012
Penélope and Javier reunite on screen, and work together on The Counselor, directed by Ridley Scott. Here, they are spotted filming in Tudela, Spain. Unlike in their previous films, they do not play love interests—Penélope played the love interest of Michael Fassbender's character, whereas Javier plays one of the film's many drug dealers.
October 23, 2012
Javier has a huge 2012, with his role as Skyfall villain Raoul Silva. Here, the Spanish stars attend the Skyfall world premiere after party at the Tate Modern in London.
Skyfall director Sam Mendes describes Cruz visiting the set: "You see them together and you think they're meant to be together. They're remarkably grounded."
October 29, 2012
Around this time, because of his star turn in Skyfall, many articles come out discussing Javier's career. One anonymous publicist told Vulture, "He doesn’t seem to yearn to be a celebrity. He's not ubiquitious. There’s a lot of mystery to him, even though he’s married to a huge celebrity like Penelope Cruz. He’s not a traditional celebrity: He doesn’t go to gifting suites, doesn’t pop up on red carpets that don’t lead to his films. I’m sure he says ‘no’ more than he says ‘yes’ to things."
February 17, 2013
In February 2013, Penélope confirms to Spanish TV station TVE! that she is pregnant with the couple's second child. She says she is "tremendously happy and excited."
Pictured, Javier attended the Goya Awards sans Penélope.
July 20, 2013
Pénelope and Javier welcome baby Luna Encinas two days after this photo was taken in Madrid, on July 22, 2013.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
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