Penélope & Javier Emerge From Hiding
As soon as Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem voiced support earlier this year for the Palestinian civilians suffering in Gaza, many in Hollywood pounced: how dare this glamour couple defend the Palestinians without pointing out their role in provoking Israel? While the Spaniards didn’t exactly retreat to a cave, they were publicly quiet for months. Now they’ve emerged: Penelope has been named Esquire’s “Sexiest Woman Alive” and photographed accordingly, and Javier may take the villain role in the next “Pirates of the Caribbean.” (Javier once told me that he didn’t want to be the next Antonio Banderas, giving up a career with top-level directors to make Hollywood-formula movies: having kids changes things.) I’m glad to have both of them back: they add spark to whatever project they’re in.
