Javier Bardem Opens Up for the First Time About Penélope Cruz's Postpartum Depression

Javier Bardem, one of Spain's most renowned actors in Hollywood, has broken his usual discretion by giving an exclusive interview to The New York Times. In it, he candidly discusses a challenging episode in his family life: the postpartum depression his wife, the also Oscar-winning Penélope Cruz, experienced following the birth of their first child, Leo, in 2011.

Bardem describes the experience of fatherhood as an "act of love" and a "transcendental and difficult experience." He openly states, "The pregnancy wasn't so bad. It was the subsequent depression. I couldn't express it, and it was very new for her." The actor admits his then inability to grasp the extent of Cruz's suffering: "Unfortunately, I couldn't understand the magnitude of it. But later, I did." He does not hesitate to praise her strength: "She is an incredible, brave, strong, and beautiful woman who was able to share it."

Bardem recalls that 14 years ago, Penélope silently questioned whether it was "normal" to feel bad right after giving life: "Is it okay to share this with my husband? Is it okay to feel this way when I'm supposed to feel the opposite?" In light of this confession, the actor acknowledges his responsibility for not having been able to provide more appropriate support at that time.

Beyond speaking about his partner, Bardem has also been honest about his own emotional struggles. At 37, following a breakup while filming No Country for Old Men, he went through a period of deep sadness: "I felt disconnected from life's pleasures. I never reached a point where I thought dark thoughts, but I was sad. It took me a while to get out of it." According to him, it was his co-star Josh Brolin who, with small gestures like opening curtains and going for walks, restored his mental clarity: "When I finished the film, I was a different person."

The interview also serves as a framework for Bardem to talk about his family life and origins: he resides in Madrid with Penélope and their two children, Leo (born in 2011) and Luna (2013). He is currently in Atlanta, filming the series Cape Fear for Apple TV+, where he has made an effort to stay connected with his family. In fact, Bardem reveals that he carries handwritten letters and drawings from his children with him.

In this regard, the couple, with schedules packed with professional commitments, has an agreement not to spend more than two consecutive weeks apart. In fact, when Bardem was away from his family for 21 days while filming Being the Ricardos, he claims that "my body was experiencing physical reactions of pain and sadness."

Additionally, the actor uses the interview to reflect on his professional and personal journey, recalling the beginning of his romance with Cruz, which began to take shape in Jamón, Jamón, when she was 17 and he was 22. "We met at the costume fitting (...) we looked at each other, and I suppose something happened. Something that defies explanation and goes beyond logic and reasoning," he recounts. An episode that the Oscar-winning Spanish actress also commented on: "When I first saw him, I knew we were going to be together. I've known him for 33 years (...) you just know."

After that first encounter, their lives took separate paths for 15 years. It wasn't until the filming of Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) that they reunited for a time, both finally single. "We had our moment there. Later, we had another. But she was with someone, or I was with someone. We were very young, and it wasn't the time, but then it came, we knew it, and we tried to avoid it," he recalls. "It was complicated. She's an actress. I'm an actor. She travels. I travel. How do you do it?" he wonders.

It was on the last night of filming when Bardem decided: "Hey, by the way, I like you," he told her, and her response was immediate: "About time, you fool." "We had a couple of drinks, and it's been 18 years," the actor jokes. "We share the fact that we met before all the noise, before the success, and before anyone saw us with different eyes... You see me, I see you. That's important," he acknowledges.