Penélope Cruz’s teen film debut with Javier Bardem in photos as she turns 51

The film centers around a beautiful teenager named Silvia (Penélope) who becomes tangled in a complicated web of affairs stemming from her relationship with a wealthy heir, his parents, her brothel owner mother, and a handsome aspiring bullfighter.

At times an absurdist and surreal comedy, the film not only served as a breakout for Penélope, but also for its two young leading men, Jordi Mollà and none other than Javier Bardem. And it’s clear to see that neither of them have aged a bit since.

Nearly two decades before their 2010 marriage, Penélope made her film debut opposite the man who would become her husband. The son of actress Pilar Bardem, the now 56-year-old Javier was given his first leading turn in Jamón, jamón. The film involved several steamy scenes between the actors, who carry out an affair to spite Silvia’s lover.

The film was a commercial success, most notably through international video rentals, and went to number one in the box office in both Spain and Italy. 

While it received relatively positive reviews at the time, it is reviewed much more fondly in retrospect. Jamón, jamón was screened at the 49th International Venice Film Festival in September 1992, receiving a Silver Lion award for its director.

At the 7th Goya Awards in 1993, the film received six nominations, including Best Actress for Penélope and Best Actor for Javier. It lost a majority of its prizes to Belle Époque, which also happened to star Penélope.

Playing the chaste Luz in the latter film cemented the actress’ stardom early on in her film career, with the 1992 comedy-drama winning the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1993.

Despite working together at the very start of their careers, the couple simply established a friendship that would last for years. While Javier kept his romantic life private, Penélope memorably dated her Vanilla Sky co-star Tom Cruise for three years between 2001 and 2004.

The pair reconnected when working on Woody Allen’s 2008 dramedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona, playing a pair of ex spouses who still hold a passionate but destructive love for each other.

Their work on the film in 2007 brought them back together and they began dating soon after, becoming an official couple by the time they each won their Oscars, Javier for No Country for Old Men in 2008, and Penélope for Vicky Cristina Barcelona the following year.

They tied the knot in July 2010 in the Bahamas and now divide their time between Hollywood and their home in Spain, where they raise their kids Leo, 14, and Luna, 11.