Javier Bardem speaks for the first time about Penélope Cruz's postpartum depression: "I didn't understand the extent of what it was."
The actor has explained the impact that the birth of his children had on his wife.
BarcelonaIn the midst of promoting his new film, F1. The movie, in which he shares the bill with Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem has given an interview with the New York Times explaining some intimate details he doesn't usually talk about, such as his family. The actor has explained how the birth of his two children, Leo and Luna, impacted him and, especially, his wife, Penélope Cruz. "The pregnancy wasn't so bad. The depression that followed was. She wasn't able to talk about it; it was very new to her," he recalls.
"Unfortunately, I didn't understand the extent of what it was. Later I did. She's an incredible, brave, strong, and beautiful woman, and she was able to share it," explains Bardem. In the interview, the actor reflects on how the perception of postpartum depression has changed in recent years. "Things are better now, but 14 years ago the question was, 'Is it okay to share what's happening to me with my husband? Is it okay to feel this way, when I should feel just the opposite?'" he reflects.
In the same interview, Bardem confesses that the decision to have children was a carefully considered one and that for him "it was an act of love." Starting a family with Cruz was a response to his desire "to create something beautiful."
Bardem also opens up about his love story with the actress. Return. He admits that when they met while filming Ham, ham, when she was 17 and he was 21, there was already a connection. "There we had a moment. Later we had another. But she was with someone, or I was with someone. We were very young, and it wasn't the right time. But then the moment came, we knew it and we tried to avoid it," she explains about how the most high-profile relationship in Spanish cinema came about. The reconnection between the two took place during the filming of Vicky Cristina Barcelona, but they didn't take the plunge until they were practically finishing filming the movie. Bardem confesses that before doing anything, he called three friends for advice, as he was worried about the consequences of starting a relationship with the actress. The media attention it could generate and also the difficulty of maintaining a relationship with both of them having such busy professional schedules made him hesitate. On the last day of filming, however, they took the plunge: "We went out for a drink and here we are, 18 years later," he says.