Spanish film stars Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz have been taking in the sights in Cape Town during a break in their filming schedules.
Bardem has been filming his latest venture The Last Face in the Mother City. He shares the screen with South Africa’s own Hollywood A-lister Charlize Theron. In the film, Charlize plays the role of a relief worker who undertakes humanitarian operations in Africa despite the danger of violent political turmoil. Bardem plays a medic who has to choose between his life’s work and his love for Charlize’s character.
Cruz, meanwhile, recently wrapped up filming on her latest project, Ma Ma. The film, shot in Madrid, tells the story of a woman who has to overcome tragedy in her life.
Despite their hectic schedules, the stars still managed to squeeze in some family time.
Along with their two young children, three-year-old son Leo and 13-month-old Luna, they visited the Two Oceans Aquarium at the V&A Waterfront this week, before stopping for a meal at Shoreline restaurant.
Cruz and Bardem first met on the set of the film Jamon Jamon. Their friendship only blossomed into a romance 18 years later, when they starred alongside each other on the Woody Allen film Vicky Christina Barcelona. Now that they are a family, the actress has been cutting back on the amount of work she does.
“You need to have time for your own life and as a mother that changes even more,” she said in an interview
“Family is the most important thing for me... and if you have children you want to raise them yourself.” - Tonight Reporter