Penelope Cruz has revealed the harrowing moment doctors warned her of a possible brain aneurysm.
While at a Cannes Film Festival press conference, the 52-year-old revealed the health scare came during the production of her latest project, a Spanish film titled La Bola Negra (The Black Ball).
The diagnosis came from a doctor on the eve of her night-shoot sequences.
“And then when we’re about to go out, I was putting on my wig, and they said, ‘Oh, apparently you have some brain aneurysm,’” she said, according to Variety.
“I thought I was about to die. This is something that was totally surreal in my life.”
A brain aneurysm refers to the ballooning in a blood vessel. While small aneurysms aren’t of major concern; ruptured aneurysms, however, are life-threatening.
Naturally, doctors needed to give Penelope the all clear before she could continue starring in her physical role as a cabaret entertainer performing for soldiers. She was medically cleared the next day.
However, the scare certainly altered her perspective: “I thought, ‘It’s a total miracle. I have to, I must have this in me,’” she said as per Variety.
La Bola Negra is a queer film set over 85 years of Spanish history, following the interconnected story of three gay men over 1932, 1937, and 2017.
The film earned an incredible 16-minute standing ovation at its Cannes premiere. Netflix is currently in the midst of negotiating a deal for the movie, believed to be in the $5 million range.
Featuring in the film alongside Penelope include Glenn Close, Miguel Bernardeau, Lola Dueñas and Carlos González.
La Bola Negra was in competition for the Palme d’Or, an award recognising the director of the Best Feature Film at Cannes. However, Norwegian film Fjord directed by Cristian Mungiu recieved the award.
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