Across two continents and three languages, she's played desperate mothers, passionate lovers, and volatile geniuses — often for the same director. Which Almodóvar collaboration reigns, or does Hollywood get its due?
1Jamón, JamónA 1992 Spanish erotic drama where Cruz plays Silvia, a young woman caught in a love triangle in rural Spain.
2Belle ÉpoqueA 1992 Oscar-winning Spanish comedy where Cruz plays Luz, one of four daughters who fall for a young deserter in 1930s Spain.
3Open Your EyesA 1997 Spanish sci-fi thriller where Cruz plays Sofía, the love interest at the center of a man's unraveling reality.
4All About My MotherA 1999 Pedro Almodóvar drama where Cruz plays Sister Rosa, a young nun living in Barcelona who becomes entangled in a story of loss and resilience.
5Vanilla SkyA 2001 sci-fi romance where Cruz plays Sofia Serrano, the woman at the center of a billionaire's increasingly surreal love story.
6BlowA 2001 crime drama where Cruz plays Mirtha Jung, the volatile wife of cocaine smuggler George Jung.
7VolverA 2006 Pedro Almodóvar drama where Cruz plays Raimunda, a working-class mother in Madrid who must confront her troubled past when her dead mother appears.
8Vicky Cristina BarcelonaA 2008 Woody Allen romantic drama where Cruz plays María Elena, the volatile ex-wife of a passionate Spanish artist, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
9Broken EmbracesA 2009 Pedro Almodóvar neo-noir where Cruz plays Lena, an actress whose affair with a director spirals into danger.
10NineA 2009 musical drama where Cruz plays Carla, the passionate mistress of a struggling Italian film director.
11Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger TidesA 2011 blockbuster where Cruz plays Angelica, a pirate and Jack Sparrow's former love interest searching for the Fountain of Youth.
12Pain and GloryA 2019 Pedro Almodóvar autobiographical drama where Cruz plays Jacinta, the mother of a filmmaker reflecting on his life.
13Parallel MothersA 2021 Pedro Almodóvar drama where Cruz plays Janis, a photographer whose life becomes intertwined with a teenage mother after they share a hospital room.
