10 Reasons To Love Penelope Cruz

Sure, there might be a thousand reasons to love Penelope Cruz, she's legendary. We'll skip the obvious first two, bared at age 17 in the 1992 film "Jamón Jamón, The Girl of Your Dreams". Cruz played the leading role of Sylvia and launched her film career fully exposed. But there's a lot more to this beauty than most people realize. 

1. She's Bilingual. That's right, her native tongue is Spanish. Penelope Cruz Sanchez was born in Alcobendas, a community in Madrid, Spain. In fact, most of her films are in Spanish. She's been nominated for and won Goya Awards, the Spanish equivalent of the Academy Awards.
2. She's naughty. Or rather, she was as a child. When Penelope Cruz was a little girl, she'd throw herself on the floor kicking, screaming and breaking things when she didn't get her way. 
3. She pinched Salma Hayek right on the behind during a press conference in 2006 while promoting the film "Bandidas". These two Latin beauties claimed they were not lovers, but still, it's easy enough to picture, right?
4. She sells edible clothing. Not exactly, but Penelope Cruz and her little sister Monica do sell a line of sexy dresses and accessories called Mango, from a boutique store in Madrid that they also own together. 
5. She dates her co-stars. On more than one occasion she's had relationships with her co-stars. So all the average guy needs to do is be cast alongside her in a film and make his move. It sounds like a solid plan, right?
6. She's mastered the five positions. Penelope Cruz spent nine years studying ballet at Spain's National Conservatory and has the grace and posture to prove it.
7. She's vegetarian. Hasn't eaten meat since 2000 and she even speaks out as an animal rights advocate, against bullfighting. And Spain still loves her. 
8. She likes them young. In fact, Penelope Cruz has volunteered for the Pacific  Lodge Boy's Home in Los Angeles, helping change the lives of runaways, former gang members, recovering addicts and other boys in trouble.
9. She likes photography, and has taken thousands of pictures all over the world. She likes photographing people in their natural setting, whether it's refugee children in Tibet, girls in India, the boys at the aforementioned boy's home, or the film crew on the set.
10. She's generous. She donated her entire salary from the film "Hi-Lo Country" to Mother Teresa's mission work and even spent a week with the nun, before she passed away. 

References

The Sydney Morning Herald