Penelope Cruz is looking back on one of the most unforgettable moments she’s shared with longtime friend Salma Hayek, and it sounds like something right out of a movie.
During an appearance on First We Feast’s Hot Ones, the Oscar-winning actress revealed that she and Hayek once found themselves in the middle of a frightening in-flight emergency while traveling in full clown costumes for Halloween. Making the story even more surreal, Cruz admitted she’s never liked clowns to begin with.
© Kevin WinterSalma Hayek and Penelope Cruz at the L.A. red carpet Premiere of “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” on August 4, 2008
“I don’t like clowns. They are scary no matter what,” she said before recalling the bizarre sequence of events. “Imagine, 10 of us were dressed like clowns. And then the pilot said, ‘Oxygen masks! We’re having a depressurisation of the cabin.'”
Cruz described the tense moments which followed, as flight attendants rushed through the cabin carrying oxygen tanks while passengers quickly put on their masks. Fortunately, the plane landed safely, and despite the scare, she now looks back on it as an experience that brought the group even closer. “We were very lucky,” she said. “But that was such a crazy bonding experience.”
© Pascal Le SegretainSalma Hayek and Penelope Cruz at the premiere of their film “Bandidas” on January 10, 2006 in Paris
The adventure wasn’t over once they were on the ground. Because they were due on set just a few hours later, Cruz and Hayek, 59, had to board another flight still wearing their Halloween costumes. “Of course we were late on set,” Cruz joked. “But alive.”
A close friendship for decades
Cruz and Hayek have remained close ever since starring together in the 2006 action-comedy Bandidas, where they played two unlikely bank robbers. Their friendship extends far beyond the screen, and Cruz has often spoken about how welcome she felt when Hayek first arrived in Los Angeles to pursue her career.
During a 2023 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Cruz recalled arriving in the city without knowing anyone, and Hayek immediately invited her to stay at her home rather than a hotel. Noting that her Mexican friend recognized how lonely and isolating a move like that can be.
© HECTOR MATASalma Hayek and Penelope Cruz have bonded over the years
“I was coming for two months, and I didn’t know anyone here,” Cruz said. “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.'”
Bono’s unusual birthday gift
Elsewhere in her Hot Ones interview, Cruz shared another surprising story, revealing that she’s finally considering learning to drive at 52 after receiving an unexpected birthday present from U2 frontman Bono.
“My friend Bono gave me a car for my last birthday,” she said. “I know how crazy that sounds, but he gave me a car, and I think that is the ultimate push to do it.”
© Dimitrios KambourisPenelope Cruz and Bono circa 2007
The actress, however, admitted that getting behind the wheel still feels intimidating. “After you get a car from Bono, you don’t get your license? How crazy is that?” she said with a laugh. “So now I’m thinking about it again, but it’s such a deep fear. Every time I get in a car, I feel like, ‘Okay, here we go. Are we going to make it or not?'”
Penelope is afraid to drive
The star has also previously revealed that her fear of driving stems from a traumatic childhood incident. In fact, in 2024, she told ELLE that she witnessed her younger sister, Mónica, being struck by a car when they were children, an experience that has stayed with her ever since.
“I have a fear of driving. My sister was run over by a car in front of me when I was eight or nine,” she said. “I remember she was wearing a red coat… And for me, time stopped. It was a great trauma because I saw her losing consciousness. And I was numb in the hospital, telling people, ‘Oh, my sister just got run over by a car.'”
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