Penelope Cruz wanted to be a mother from the age of four.
Penelope Cruz
The 47-year-old actress has two children, 10-year-old son Leo and eight-year-old daughter Luna, with her actor husband Javier Bardem, and she admits that ever since she was a little girl playing with her dolls growing up in Madrid.
Speaking to Italian publication IO Donna, she said: "There are those who have it since childhood, like me - when I was four years old I was playing with dolls, it was a kind of obsession.
"For others the desire for a child comes suddenly, for others it never comes and that's fine: life can be complete even without it."
Cruz's career has gone from strength-to-strength since she became a parent, and she is pleased that she has been able to reduce her schedule whilst still taking on roles that excite her and challenge her.
Discussing how she juggles motherhood with her career, she shared: "It's a genuine puzzle. But I was lucky. Having started working early, I kept telling myself that when I became a mother I would slow down, and I kept my word: not everyone can.
"I switched to one film a year from three or four before: a pace that was madness.
"If I have to shoot outside Spain, I do it in the summer so we can go together. My priority is my children, but I don't give up on work."
The 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' has also opened up on how she parents her kids and one of the main lessons in life she instills in both her son and her daughter is to respect everyone, especially women.
She said: "It's incredible that we still have to fight for things that should be taken for granted, like equal rights.
"For me it has always been clear seeing the example of my mother and the very strong women of my family: education and examples are fundamental.
"As the mother of a boy and a girl I transmit the same messages to both of them."
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