Penelope Cruz recounted a terrifying midair emergency she experienced alongside longtime friend Salma Hayek during a recent appearance on the show Hot Ones.
The Oscar-winning actress told host Sean Evans that the scare occurred while a group of 10 passengers, including the two celebrities, were traveling to a film set dressed in full clown costumes for Halloween.
Cruz noted her personal discomfort with the outfits before detailing the sudden technical emergency.
"I don't like clowns. They are scary no matter what," said Cruz.
The situation escalated rapidly when the cabin lost pressure, forcing the crew to take immediate action as passengers deployed safety equipment.
"Imagine, 10 of us were dressed like clowns. And then the pilot said, 'Oxygen masks!
We're having a depressurization of the cabin,'" recalled Cruz.
Flight attendants rushed through the cabin carrying oxygen tanks while others ran and hid in the bathroom during the chaotic incident.
"We were very lucky," said Cruz.
The plane landed safely, and the actresses subsequently boarded another flight while still wearing their costumes to reach their destination.
"But that was such a crazy bonding experience," remarked Cruz.
The group arrived behind schedule but unharmed to begin filming.
"Of course we were late on set," joked Cruz. "But alive."
Long-Standing Friendship
The relationship between the two actresses spans more than two decades, highlighted by their co-starring roles as bank robbers in the 2006 action-comedy Bandidas.
Cruz previously spoke about Hayek's hospitality during a 2023 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, recalling how Hayek insisted she stay at her home when Cruz first arrived in Los Angeles.
"I was coming for two months, and I didn't know anyone here," said Cruz.
Hayek offered her home to prevent her friend from feeling isolated during her transition into Hollywood.
"She picked me up and said, 'You're not going to the hotel.
You're coming to my house because this is hard at the beginning and you're going to feel very lonely,'" said Cruz.
The shared history has led them to frequently describe each other as sisters.
"You don't know me, but you're coming to my house. I'm not going to leave you alone," Hayek told Cruz.
Other Revelations from the Interview
Cruz also discussed her current film project, The Invite, starring Edward Norton, Seth Rogen, and Olivia Wilde.
She detailed how she earned validation from her two children after joining Bad Bunny on stage during a concert.
"My kids came to me and said, 'Mom. Finally, you, we can say you are cool.
We can say you are a cool mother,'" said Cruz, adding, "I was like, thank you, Benito. Thank you.
Oh, it took me all these years!"
Cruz revealed she is considering learning to drive at age 52 after receiving a car as a birthday gift from U2 frontman Bono.
"My friend Bono gave me a car for my last birthday," said Cruz.
She acknowledged that her hesitation to drive stems from a childhood trauma when she witnessed her younger sister, Monica, get struck by a car.
"I know how crazy that sounds, but he gave me a car, and I think that is the ultimate push to do it," said Cruz.
"After you get a car from Bono, you don't get your license? How crazy is that?"
said Cruz with a laugh. "So now I'm thinking about it again, but it's such a deep fear."
Cruz previously detailed the accident during a 2024 interview with ELLE magazine.
"I have a fear of driving.
My sister was run over by a car in front of me when I was eight or nine," said Cruz.
She described the lasting emotional impact of watching her sister lose consciousness.
"I remember she was wearing a red coat... And for me, time stopped.
It was a great trauma because I saw her losing consciousness," said Cruz.
Cruz is scheduled to appear in several upcoming projects, including La Bola Negra, Day Drinker alongside Johnny Depp, and Bunker with her husband, Javier Bardem.
