All About Penélope Cruz's Younger Look-alike Sister, Monica Cruz

Monica Cruz is a dancer, actress, model and clothing designer

Penélope Cruz and her younger sister, Monica Cruz, are two the same — so much so that even they themselves sometimes can’t tell the difference.

“The other day we were sitting together in the back of the car and I was looking in the rear view mirror and a very strange thing happened: I thought I was looking at my face and it was hers!” Penélope told Contact Music in 2008, trans British Vogue.

Born three years apart to the late talk show host Encarna Sánchez and Eduardo Cruz, who died of a possible heart attack in 2015, the two girls grew up together in a suburb of Madrid, Spain, with their younger brother Eduardo.

Although Penélope eventually left her hometown for the bright lights of Hollywood, the sisters never lost their connection. “We talk all the time and tell each other everything, even if sometimes we have to do it on BlackBerry,” Monica said The Daily Mail in 2007.

She also dismissed any rumors of sibling rivalry, saying: “I was raised to value my family. Penélope and I never fight, we have a really, really good relationship. It makes me angry and sad when people ask me if we fight because I can’t imagine a family being any different.”

Although both women are entertainers, having danced and acted since they were young, Monica told the publication that they have always maintained their individuality as well. “V was hyperactive – she wouldn’t sleep or eat – and I was always a quiet child,” she said The Daily Mail. “I was a good girl – at least until I was 16 or 17!”

Keep reading for everything you can know about Penélope Cruz’s younger sister, Monica Cruz.

She is three years younger than Penélope

Penelope Cruz and her sister Monica Cruz.

Penelope Cruz’s Instagram

Monica was born to Encarna Sánchez and Eduardo Cruz on March 14, 1977, just under three years after Penélope arrived on April 28, 1974.

“Penélope was always a clown – acting, singing, acting crazy – and I would just sit and watch her,” Monica previously said The Daily Mail of their dynamic growth. “I just sit quietly and stare at my older sister.”

In March 2017, Penélope shared an adorable photo of the two girls together on Instagram in honor of Monica’s 40th birthday. “Happy birthday my beautiful sister!! I love you,” she wrote in the description.

She and Penélope design clothes together

Penelope Cruz and Monica Cruz launch the “Penelope & Monica Cruz for MNG” Summer 2008 Collection on March 13, 2008 in Madrid, Spain.

Lalo Yasky/WireImage

Penélope and Monica have been designing clothing collections for various fashion houses since 2007, when they created a line of handbags for Samantha Thavasa.

Penélope publicly said that work is something that comes naturally to the sisters, who would “hide together in the bathroom [and sit] on the floor with magazines … drawing on designs and changing designs” as children.

Since then, they have worked for Charles Vögele, Mango, Agent Provocateur, Loewe and Geox. “It’s something that keeps happening here and there,” Penélope said in October 2023. “So we’re very grateful because we continue to learn from these great brands.”

The women said it also gives them a chance to bond in a different way. “It’s funny actually, we very rarely clash,” Penélope said Harper’s Bazaar 2015. “I think we know each other well, we cooperate very well, which is lucky! In fact, we often go to look for inspiration and come up with creative content and ideas, and come back with the same thoughts.”

Monica shared a similar feeling with The Daily Mail 2011, saying, “It’s easy for us to work together. With one look, we immediately know what the other is thinking. We often come up with the exact same idea without discussing it first. And we can be more honest with each other.”

It also helps that they have the same style: “We’re the same size and we borrow each other’s clothes all the time,” said Monica The Daily Mail in 2007, noting that she often took things from her sister’s closet when she traveled to LA, adding that Penélope did the same when she returned to Spain. “He takes things from my wardrobe,” she said.

Monica and Penélope were pregnant at the same time

Monica announced her IVF pregnancy in January 2013. Just weeks later, Penélope’s rep confirmed to HALL yes it is Vanilla sky star was also pregnant, saying the actress was “extremely happy and very excited.”

According to Hello!On May 14, 2013, Monica gave birth to a daughter, Antonella Cruz Sánchez. The media reported that Penélope was with her sister at the time of the birth, as was her sister’s mother, Encarna, and their brother, Eduardo.

Penélope then welcomed her second child with husband Javier Bardem, daughter Luna, just two months later on July 22, 2013.

Penélope and Monica’s younger brother is a famous singer

Eduardo Cruz poses with Penelope Cruz and Monica Cruz after filming the latest video for his single ‘Cosas Que Contar’ on September 13, 2007 in Mexico City.

Ivan Mendez/EPA/Shutterstock

The sisters grew up with a third brother – younger brother Eduardo Cruz – who is a famous singer in Spain.

Monica talked about her brother’s occupation The Daily Mail 2011, saying, “It’s very important for us to be seen as individuals with our own careers. I think it’s very intelligent of Eduardo to deal with his music the way he does.”

Besides Eduardo, Penélope and Monica also have a half-sister Salma from their late father Eduardo’s second marriage with Carmen Moreno.

She and Penélope are professionally trained dancers

Monica Cruz during Monica Cruz joins Latin pop stars to film the “Un Paso Adelante” concert at the Antena 3 TV studio in Madrid, Spain.

Lalo Yasky/WireImage

Although Penélope is best known as an actress, she and Monica studied ballet from the age of 4. The Daily Mail. Monica continued to dance into her teens and beyond, later joining the Joaquín Cortés Dance Company at the age of 17.

“Dance is my first passion,” she told the publication in 2014. “Dance is telling a story with your body.”

As well as giving her a creative outlet, the former ballerina said it also gave her and her older sister a sense of structure. “It teaches wonderful discipline and that discipline stays with you,” she said. “My sister and I talk all the time about how much it helped us.”

She is also an actress

Penelope Cruz and Monica Cruz.

Chris Polk/FilmMagic

After working at the Joaquín Cortés Dance Company, Monica followed her older sister into acting, appearing in a Spanish TV series Un Paso Adelante.

She continued with roles in Final investigation, Velvet Collection and UPA Next.

Monica talked about her career turnaround The Daily Mail in 2007, saying, “The life of a dancer is hard — it’s so physically demanding and at any moment you can suffer an injury that could end your career. … I’m going to focus on my acting.”

Although Monica said she didn’t foresee a career in Hollywood for herself, she noted that she takes her acting roles seriously. “I see myself more and more as an actress, not as a dancer,” she said.

She was Penélope’s body double Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides Unknown

Unlike Penélope, Monica’s acting roles were mostly in foreign titles. The younger Cruz starred alongside her sibling in the 2011 blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides Unknown, however — even if the audience didn’t know it.

According to Irish IndependentMonica was chosen to play her older sister’s body double while Penélope was pregnant with her son Leo.

The film’s director, Rob Marshall, reportedly spoke about Monica’s role in the film at a 2011 Cannes Film Festival conference, saying, “We actually asked Monica to help us with some wide shots and some long shots when we needed a different silhouette.”

He added yes Final investigation the star was “fantastic and a true friend of the film.”

She acted in several music videos

Monica Cruz on the red carpet at the 2023 Goya Awards on February 11, 2023 in Seville, Spain.

Juan Naharro Gimenez/WireImage

In addition to her screen roles, Monica has appeared in several music videos.

In 2014, both she and Penélope appeared in brother Eduardo’s music video for the song “Cosas Que Contar”. Monica spoke with The Daily Mail about how important it was for a musician to fend for himself before involving his sisters in his work. “It’s only now that it’s been established that he asked us to be in his new video,” she said in 2007.

Three years later, Monica made a cameo appearance in Jamiroquai’s music video for “Cloud 9” as a ravishing woman dancing in a nightclub.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education