Javier Bardem Reveals Why He and Penélope Cruz Finally Decided to Date 'Many Years' After First Meeting

Mar. 15, 2025

Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem on Sept. 20, 2024.Photo:JB Lacroix/WireImage

JB Lacroix/WireImage

Javier BardemandPenélope Cruzhad a connection from the moment they met, but it wasn’t until years later that they finally began a relationship.While speaking withGentleman’s Journalto promote his Netflix seriesMonsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, Bardem, 55, reflected on first meeting his wife Cruz, 50, while she photographed him in their home in Madrid for the magazine’s cover.“She was 17, and I was 22,” Bardem said of meeting Cruz on 1992’s Spanish-languageJamón Jamón. “It was her first movie; one of my first movies. A big movie. We met on the wardrobe test, where we looked at each other, and I guess something happened. Something that doesn’t have any explanation and goes beyond logic and reasoning.““But, back in the day, we had different lives, different objectives, aims and goals. Yet, something was there — an energy, a chemistry, a way to rely on each other as human beings,” he recalled. “And that stayed for so long, even though we didn’t see each other or speak to each other for many years.”Roughly 15 years later, Cruz and Bardem reconnected both professionally and romantically while makingWoody Allen’s 2008 movieVicky Cristina Barcelona. The pair later made their first official public appearance together as a couple at the 2010 Goya Awards andwere marriedJuly 13, 2010, in the Bahamas.Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem in 1992’s Jamón Jamón.Academy Entertainment/ Courtesy Everett CollectionNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“We realized that the feeling was still alive. Very alive,” Bardem said of reconnecting with Cruz onVicky Cristina Barcelona. “To our surprise! But it happened that we were both single at that moment, so naturally what had to happen happened — two people reconnected because they shared tons of things, way more than they expected.““But we also shared that we met each other and knew each other before all of the noise, before success and before anybody saw us with different eyes because of who we now were, what we had become,” Bardem added. “And that’s an important base, to rely on someone because you know them for real, and they know you for real. You see me, I see you. That’s important.”Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz in 2008’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona.EverettCruz and Bardem sharetwo children: son Leo, 13, and daughter Luna, 11. The acting duo (both are Oscar winners) have also costarred in movies likeThe Counselor,Everybody KnowsandLoving Pablo, among others over the years.Cruz most recently appeared on the big screen in 2023’sFerrari, while Bardem costarred in this year’sDune: Part Twobefore portrayingJose Menendezin the new Netflix true-crime series.

Javier BardemandPenélope Cruzhad a connection from the moment they met, but it wasn’t until years later that they finally began a relationship.

While speaking withGentleman’s Journalto promote his Netflix seriesMonsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, Bardem, 55, reflected on first meeting his wife Cruz, 50, while she photographed him in their home in Madrid for the magazine’s cover.

“She was 17, and I was 22,” Bardem said of meeting Cruz on 1992’s Spanish-languageJamón Jamón. “It was her first movie; one of my first movies. A big movie. We met on the wardrobe test, where we looked at each other, and I guess something happened. Something that doesn’t have any explanation and goes beyond logic and reasoning.”

“But, back in the day, we had different lives, different objectives, aims and goals. Yet, something was there — an energy, a chemistry, a way to rely on each other as human beings,” he recalled. “And that stayed for so long, even though we didn’t see each other or speak to each other for many years.”

Roughly 15 years later, Cruz and Bardem reconnected both professionally and romantically while makingWoody Allen’s 2008 movieVicky Cristina Barcelona. The pair later made their first official public appearance together as a couple at the 2010 Goya Awards andwere marriedJuly 13, 2010, in the Bahamas.

Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem in 1992’s Jamón Jamón.Academy Entertainment/ Courtesy Everett Collection

Academy Entertainment/ Courtesy Everett Collection

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“We realized that the feeling was still alive. Very alive,” Bardem said of reconnecting with Cruz onVicky Cristina Barcelona. “To our surprise! But it happened that we were both single at that moment, so naturally what had to happen happened — two people reconnected because they shared tons of things, way more than they expected.”

“But we also shared that we met each other and knew each other before all of the noise, before success and before anybody saw us with different eyes because of who we now were, what we had become,” Bardem added. “And that’s an important base, to rely on someone because you know them for real, and they know you for real. You see me, I see you. That’s important.”

Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz in 2008’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona.Everett

Cruz and Bardem sharetwo children: son Leo, 13, and daughter Luna, 11. The acting duo (both are Oscar winners) have also costarred in movies likeThe Counselor,Everybody KnowsandLoving Pablo, among others over the years.

Cruz most recently appeared on the big screen in 2023’sFerrari, while Bardem costarred in this year’sDune: Part Twobefore portrayingJose Menendezin the new Netflix true-crime series.

source: people.com