Broken Embraces is your fourth film with Pedro Almodovar. What's so special about working with him?

Penelope Cruz: We have developed this working relationship and this friendship now for many years. He was the reason why I decided to become an actress, because of the admiration I felt for him.

Do you and Pedro work on a character for a long time?

PC: We rehearsed every day for three and a half months for Broken Embraces. I like having that time. Just to find things, to be able to make mistakes, to try different ways to do a scene.

Do you drop everything when Pedro has a film role for you?

PC: He always tells me many, many months before. Sometimes a year before. Then if I know he wants to shoot there and he wants me to do it, I just skip everything so I am free.

You're rocking an Audrey Hepburn look in this one. Is she an inspiration to you?

PC: Yes, always. She was a great actress. She had a very special quality. She was magic, that woman.

Is she your favourite actress?

PC: My favourite actress is Meryl Streep. Oh, and Anna Magnani.

Do you still want to work with Lars Von Trier?

PC: Well, I haven't seen Antichrist, but yes I still want to work with him!

Cruz in Broken Embraces

Do you remember how you first broke into the movies?

PC: It was for Jamon Jamon. I felt very surprised that I was getting yes as an answer for the first audition that I did. It was really the beginning of a big change in my life, because after that I stated working all the time.

You've starred in everything from Westerns to sci-fi films. How do you decide whether to say yes to a role?

PC: The script, the director, the role... You just have to feel as though you can do something with it. In order to make anybody else feel anything with that character, you have to feel something first.

Do nude scenes and sex scenes bother you?

PC: It's difficult to answer. I have fear, always on the set. Insecurity to the point where the first week I always think I could be fired. I think that's a fear most actors have. But Pedro can intimidate me more than anybody. Because I care so much about him and I don't want to disappoint him.

What has it been like since winning the Oscar for Vicky Cristina Barcelona?

PC: I feel everything has gone very fast. And I need to take a few months or a year away from work. To really digest this whole adventure.

Are you better at dealing with your nerves now?

PC: No, I just get used to working while I'm nervous and insecure. It doesn't change that much after the second week or the second month. It stays. It's just a very, very exciting thing that has happened. I don't know about the confidence!