Javier Bardem speaks about the battle of Penelope Cruz against postpartum depression
The Spanish actor was as sincere as ever about his personal life, specifically a painful moment with his wife Penelope
The Spanish actor Javier Bardem showed his most vulnerable side when speaking about issues in his private life that have rarely come to light. It was about his experience with fatherhood and the complicated diagnosis of postpartum depression that his wife, Penelope Cruz, received when she gave birth to their firstborn in 2011.
The moving revelation, which took place during his interview with The New York Times, included a powerful reflection in which he acknowledged that although he accompanied the actress during this difficult process, it is impossible for any man to dimension the magnitude of the emotions that a woman experiences after giving birth.
"As a man, you have accompanied that person, but you have not gone through what she has gone through (...) Unfortunately, I could not understand the dimension of what it was. But later, I did," he explained to the American portal.
Javier Bardem indicated that for him and his partner it was unimaginable to go through an obstacle of this type: "The pregnancy was not so bad. It was the depression afterwards. She was not able to express it, and it was all new to her. Now she is better, but 14 years ago, she I asked myself, 'Is it okay to share this with my husband? Is it okay to feel this way when I'm supposed to feel the opposite?'" she added.
The Oscar winner didn't pass up the opportunity to shower the star of stories like “Madres Paralelas” and “Vanilla Sky” with praise, stating that it was her fortitude that helped her break out of that cycle.
"She's an incredible, brave, strong, and beautiful woman for having been able to share it. She's better now," said the big-screen heartthrob in conclusion.
Currently, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz have two children from their marriage: Leo and Luna, a 13-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl, respectively. However, the couple has chosen to keep them out of the spotlight and let them decide in the future if their calling lies in the entertainment world.
"It's up to them to decide whether they're going to have more public-facing work or not. "They'll be able to talk about it when they're ready," Cruz said in an interview a few years ago.