Penelope Cruz offers a uncommon perception into her household life with Javier Bardem in Madrid as she poses for a shocking Perfect journal shoot

Penelope Cruz has given a rare insight into her family life with Javier Bardem in Madrid while posing for a stunning Perfect magazine shoot.

The actress, 52, has been married to the actor, 57, for 16 years, and the couple share two children, son Leo, 15, and daughter Luna, 12. 

While both stars were born and raised in Spain, their rising Hollywood careers meant they spent years living across Los Angeles, New York and London. 

But in 2013, they made the decision to move back to Madrid to raise their children close to their deep Spanish roots.

Now, in a new interview with the publication, the actress has given a rare insight into why raising their kids in the Spanish capital is easier than in the US.

She said: ‘All our families are there, and the friends from childhood and from our teenage years; it’s easier to have a normal life, you know? 

‘Yeah, you have to make an effort to keep a part of your life private, but I think when you have children, it’s really important.’

The actress continued: ‘Later, they can decide what they want to do in terms of their work and everything.’

She added that they need ‘freedom’ and to ‘not be exposed’ to things while they are young.

Earlier this year, Javier revealed he’ll turn down roles if it means spending ‘more than two weeks’ away from his family.

He shared that since the birth of their first child, he and Penelope have ensured that at least one of them is at home continuously when taking acting roles.

Praising his spouse, the No Country For Old Men star added that he feels ‘blessed’ to have ‘had the chance to be at the same time, in the same place, in life’ as her.

He said: ‘I don’t have musts in my contract that have to do with bigger trailers or luxurious suites

‘The only thing I do pay attention to is, no more than two weeks away from my family.’

Javier went on to tell Variety: ‘Penélope is an amazing, beautiful, good human being — the way she relates to her family, to her friends, to our kids, to me, to herself. It’s been a lot of years, and I haven’t seen a hint of malice in her.’

‘On top of that, she’s amazingly f*****g beautiful! When I see her being photographed on some magazines, I go, ”is that my wife? Jesus is it? It must be.’

Penélope won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in 2008’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, while Javier took home Best Supporting actor for 2007 drama No Country for Old Men.

He went on to play the role of villain Raoul Silva in 2012 James Bond movie Skyfall, but fans will reportedly have to wait another two years before 007 is back on the big screen, marking the longest gap between movies in the franchise’s 64-year history.

The super spy is no stranger to a lengthy hiatus – with a six-year gap between 1989’s Licence to Kill, the final Timothy Dalton film, and 1995’s GoldenEye, the first to star Pierce Brosnan.

But with the leading actor still to be recast, following Daniel Craig’s exit after 2021’s No Time To Die, a rumoured 2028 spring release means audiences will have waited a whopping seven years.

Last year the Broccoli family handed over creative control to Amazon MGM Studios – which was formed when Amazon bought Bond’s parent studio in 2022 – after 30 years.

Dune’s director Denis Villeneuve has signed on to helm the new project, with Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight penning the script.

A source said: ‘Bond won’t be back until 2028. The production mindset’s gone from ‘Let’s hurry this through’ to ‘Make sure we get this right’.

‘Denis wanted a long break after Dune 3 and has some broad ideas on the script. Steven will get on with drafts, before they map out the final version. That’ll take at least the whole summer.’

They told The Sun: ‘Realistically, if they can make January 2027 work for pre-production then that will be a success.

‘The principal photography will run until the summer and the film always takes around nine months to a year to edit.’