After filming “All the Pretty Horses”, she became a vegetarian.

She donated her entire “Hi-Lo Country” salary to the Mother Teresa’s children’s sanctuary in Calcutta after spending a week there volunteering.

Academic curriculum: Finished 2nd. year of secondary school. Had 4 years of dance performance with Cristina Rota, several dance courses at New York, 9 years of classic ballet at the Conservatorio Nacional and 3 years of Spanish ballet with Ángela Garrido. Also had Jazz Dance course with Raúl Caballero.

Volunteered in Uganda for 2 months in 1997 with then boyfriend Faiz Ahmad.

Cruz supports a non-government organisation (NGO) called Sabera Foundation. Together with Nacho Cano and other Spanish entertainers, they have set up a home, a school and a clinic for homeless girls and people suffering from tuberculosis in Calcutta. Two documentary programs have already been made for Spanish TV on this project and one is being prepared in English for the US market.

Fashion ‘n’ Family

After a photo shoot and shopping trip in Paris, Penelope Cruz has now found herself situated in Barcelona for the filming of Woody Allen’s upcoming film, co-starring Scarlett Johansson.

The actress recently sat down with Style magazine for an interview, but was tight-lipped about her latest role – instead opting to talk about her upcoming fashion line and close-knit family.

Penelope spoke of how she has recently entered into a business venture with her sister, Monica, a dancer and television actress. The sisters designed a collection for the Spain-based fashion chain Mango, which includes a mix of red-carpet-inspired evening wear, jeans, knits and daywear based on their own fashion preferences.

Speaking of the new clothing endeavor (which is slated for a September 16 launch), Cruz said, “This is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time. We just had to find the right people to do it with. We’ve always loved clothes – we used to hide in the bathroom with fashion magazines and say, ‘I want that one.’ We’d get a pencil and mark the pictures, and show how we’d transform them at home.”

As evidenced by her close working relationship with her sister, Penelope also spoke of the importance of keeping her family at the top of her list of priorities.

“My family are the best thing I have, and I spend a lot of time with them. We are very strict about that, about not letting anything interfere with having time for the family. We are always here for each other, all of us. We know that we can count on the rest, so we always find the time.”

Now, Penelope is not only spending time with her family, but she’s found a way to make money while doing so!