"My ambition is to be happy," says Penélope Cruz. And she is! It has taken a lot of dedication, great looks and hard work.  This year alone, she will star in three films and three more are slated for ‘09

"The most difficult thing in the world is to start a career known only for your looks, and then to try to become a serious actress.” Cruz admits. “No one will take you seriously once you are known as the pretty woman. But I'm there, working hard, to serve my character, not my ego." And the public is now recognizing that behind the pretty face is a woman of substance.

"I've always been a perfectionist,” Penélope continues, “To the point where some people can misinterpret that as being a control freak. I put more time and energy into something because I want it to be as good as possible. My sister Monica is the same. We are very hard workers. That's how we grew up. My parents taught us that you earn every day that you get. They didn't have a lot of money and they had to work really hard to raise us. So I feel that every opportunity I get, I want to give it 100 per cent. It is a privilege to be working in show business. I'm very lucky. And it's getting better and better."

Penélope Cruz Sanchez was born 28th April 1974 in Madrid, Spain to Eduardo Cruz and Encarna Sanchez. The Spanish beauty was named after Joan Manuel Serrat's song "Penélope". "I grew up observing women," she says, "different women, different attitudes, coming to see my mom, a hairdresser, to be pretty. I used to sit there and observe how they related to each other, to my mother. It was very interesting. It was like a good acting school."

Landing her first job at 16, Penélope presented children television programs on Spain's Tele 5. Ultimately she had to take a break to recover from over-exhaustion. This is something that Cruz still struggles to find… balance between work and play.  "She'll travel anywhere to help people," All the Pretty Horses director Billy Bob Thornton says. “And she will exhaust herself for others. I’ve seen it happen.” The Hi-Lo Country (1998), was Penélope’s first Hollywood production. It has been rumored that she donated a large part of her salary of the film to Mother Teresa's children's sanctuary in Calcutta. Early in her career, I learned, Penélope volunteered for one week at Mother Teresa's hospital in Calcutta, which impacted her life.

Academy Award® nominee Penélope Cruz has proven herself to be a versatile young actress by playing a variety of compelling characters, and most recently becoming the first actress from Spain to be nominated for an Academy Award. Many remember when she starred opposite Tom Cruise in the erotic thriller, Vanilla Sky. Penélope also starred in Volver, as Raimunda, for which she won the “Best Actress” awards at the European Film Awards, the Spanish Goya Awards, the Cannes Film Festival, and received both Golden Globe and Oscar® nominations. This past summer, she completed filming in Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona opposite Javier Bardem and Scarlett Johansson. I Loved this movie!

“Happiness,” Penélope concludes, “is the moment when, if you've forgotten those little things that really matter, they suddenly come back into focus." May this month bring you happiness, clarity and the ability to focus on the little things that make a big difference in your life. Enjoy!