Penelope Cruz says message mattered more than screen time in 'The Black Ball'
- By Web Desk -
- May 23, 2026
CANNES, France: Penelope Cruz wanted to be in Cannes Film Festival entry “The Black Ball” no matter how small the role because she felt the ambitious gay epic about Spanish history could have an important impact on younger people, she said on Friday.
“My decisions aren’t based on how many minutes my character will be on screen; it’s about being part of something, wanting to be part of something that matters to you,” the Oscar-winning Spanish actor told journalists after the premiere the night before.
“Films can’t change the world, but in some cases they can help make things better,” she said, especially for young people.
“What you experience can sometimes have a greater impact when you’re sitting in a cinema for two and a half hours … than anything you might study over three years at school.”
HEALTH SCARE
Cruz, who along with Glenn Close is the only cast member with name recognition outside Spain, has a brief cameo as a wartime entertainer named Nene in the 155-minute movie.
She recalled facing a health scare shortly before she was supposed to perform her song and dance, after her doctor told her she may have a brain aneurysm. Cruz was cleared to shoot the scene but did not tell the directors until the next day.
“For me, that moment – I know that when I die as an old woman – will be one of the moments I’ll remember as the most surreal of my whole life: being up on that tank thinking I had an aneurysm, which in the end turned out to be a false alarm.”