Penélope Cruz faces a particularly busy autumn professionally, continuing to demonstrate why she is one of the most influential European actresses both on and off screen. Between promoting her new film "The Invite ," her appearances at film festivals, and her now-customary style tips, the Madrid native is once again becoming a reference point for many viewers in Spain and the rest of Europe.
In recent weeks, the Oscar winner has grabbed headlines for three intertwined reasons: her casual style while traveling to present "The Invite," her new haircut that anticipates autumn trends, and her decision to speak openly about perimenopause, a topic that remains taboo for many women of her generation.
A transitional look with basics that anyone can copy
During one of her recent stops in Los Angeles for the screening of "The Invite ," the film directed by and starring Olivia Wilde, in which she shares the screen with Seth Rogen and Edward Norton, Penélope Cruz made it clear that you don't need extravagant outfits to look impeccable. Her travel style, chosen for a special screening of the film, was constructed solely from wardrobe staples.
The actress paired a black tank top with an oversized beige shirt, which she wore completely open, like a light overshirt. This simple touch gave the outfit a more relaxed and visually interesting feel, ideal for those in-between days when the temperature fluctuates unexpectedly.
For the bottom, she opted for high-waisted, straight-leg blue denim jeans , a classic style many already own. To complete the look, she added a thin black leather belt, coordinated with the top, which accentuated her waist without compromising comfort.
The finishing touch came with the shoes: two-tone ballet flats in beige and black that perfectly complemented both the shirt and the t-shirt. The result was a very balanced look, easy to recreate and perfect for everyday autumn wear in any European city, from Madrid to Paris.
These kinds of appearances are reinforcing Cruz's image as someone capable of going from haute couture to casual without losing an ounce of personality , something that has become almost her trademark at the premieres and presentations surrounding "The Invite".
Mid-length hair and copper highlights: the hairstyle that defines her autumn
At those same events related to the promotional tour for "The Invite ," Penélope Cruz also unveiled yet another twist on a haircut that suits her particularly well. It's a shaggy, medium-length style with a side-swept fringe, which she first started sporting at the beginning of the year and has now perfected with very subtle copper highlights.
The hairstyle, with its medium length and soft layers, has been evolving in recent months through subtle tweaks, but maintains the same philosophy: to add movement and lightness to already abundant brown hair. Hairdressing specialists who have analyzed the change agree that this type of flowing fringe prevents the front area from looking too heavy, something that could happen with a straight, blunt cut.
The actress has showcased the versatility of the cut, wearing it in countless ways: completely straight, curly, loose, or up. At a recent event in Los Angeles, she explored this more relaxed side of her hair with a curly texture and a "wet" effect , a combination that perfectly complements the new babylights she's gotten for fall.
These copper highlights, applied very finely over the chestnut base, help to brighten the face and add depth to the hairstyle , something many women seek after summer, when hair and skin tend to lose some of the sun's shine. The chosen technique is also designed to blend gradually with the rest of the hair, avoiding harsh contrasts.
Penelope has shown that, far from being a radical change, this new hairstyle is the culmination of months of adjustments : less length than in previous seasons, slightly more defined layers following the shaggy trend, and more subtle highlights than the blonde ones she wore in spring. A measured balance that reinforces her public image at a phase of her career closely tied to significant projects.
"The Invite" and an autumn full of cinema in Europe
Beyond fashion and her personal image, Penélope Cruz faces a very busy fall film season . "The Invite" (titled "La invitación" in Spain) is a dramedy inspired by the Spanish play "Los vecinos de arriba" by Cesc Gay. The film has already been shown in theaters, festivals, and special screenings in the United States, while its Spanish theatrical release is scheduled for October 16.
In this production, Cruz shares the spotlight with Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, and Edward Norton , a cast that reinforces the blend of European sensibility and Hollywood machine. The promotional tour, which includes interviews with international media outlets and joint talks between the leading ladies, is generating some of the most talked-about headlines for the actress in recent times.
Aside from "The Invite," the Madrid native maintains a very busy schedule in Europe. She is expected to appear at festivals such as Venice and San Sebastián during the autumn festival circuit , where she will present projects like "La bola negra" (The Black Ball), directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi (Los Javis). This film joins other titles she has released throughout the year, such as "La Novia!" (The Bride!) and "La Invite" itself.
To these appearances must be added the announcement of "Bunker," a drama directed by Frenchman Florian Zeller, in which Penélope Cruz will once again share the screen with Javier Bardem. Zeller, director of "The Father," explained that he wanted to take advantage of the couple's real-life chemistry to construct a marriage in crisis that blurs the lines between fiction and reality.
The filming of this movie took place in studios created specifically for this purpose in Madrid so that both could combine work with family life , a condition that Bardem himself has emphasized in interviews: one of the two tries to always be close to their children, even during periods of intense filming and constant travel.
Talking about health openly: perimenopause in the first person
If anything has surprised people on this promotional tour for "The Invite," it's the natural way Penélope Cruz is addressing health issues that rarely make headlines. In a conversation organized by Allure magazine with Olivia Wilde, the actress opened up about perimenopause, or early menopause, a process she says she began to notice at age 41.
Cruz recalled the moment her gynecologist warned her that her hormones were about to embark on "a crazy dance" for nearly a decade . She confessed that at first she thought it was some kind of cruel joke, impossible to bear, until she experienced the first symptoms and saw just how much they could disrupt her daily life.
In that interview, the actress explained that she has been developing ovarian cysts almost every month during this time , something that, combined with abrupt estrogen fluctuations, has even baffled some of her medical staff. She spoke of tests showing drastic changes in hormone levels, from relatively low figures to very high levels in a short period, which has sometimes required repeating tests to rule out laboratory errors.
Despite everything, the Madrid native explained that she continues to have normal periods and has found some balance thanks to the use of bioidentical hormones , a plant-based treatment used as hormone replacement therapy during perimenopause and menopause. She said these compounds are helping her manage both the physical symptoms and the emotional ups and downs typical of this stage of life.
During the conversation, she also wanted to draw attention to a symptom much less known than hot flashes: adhesive capsulitis, or "frozen shoulder ." She discovered this problem while researching for a fictional role and, since then, has closely followed the work of specialists like gynecologist Mary Claire Haver, who have helped to raise awareness of the complexities of perimenopause in middle-aged women.
That an actress of her stature shares these kinds of experiences without dramatizing them has a clear impact on public debate, especially in countries like Spain, where many women between 40 and 50 years old recognize themselves in this long and often invisible hormonal transition . Her statements are helping to give voice to a stage of life that is rarely addressed so openly in mainstream media.
A bridge figure between Hollywood and the European public
Between her role in "The Invite," the films set to premiere in Spanish theaters in the coming months, and her regular appearances at European film festivals, Penélope Cruz is solidifying her role year after year as a bridge between the Hollywood industry and audiences in Europe . She not only takes on projects on both sides of the Atlantic, but also maintains a strong base of operations in Spain, where she continues to live and where much of her personal life is centered.
Her career perfectly encapsulates this dual identity: from her childhood in Alcobendas to international red carpets, without losing her Madrid accent or shying away from filming in Spanish when the story demands it. The fact that she continues to work with European directors like Florian Zeller or Spanish filmmakers like Los Javis demonstrates that her commitment to Spanish cinema remains strong.
As the peak season for awards and festivals approaches, Cruz's appearances will be accompanied by new wardrobe choices and hairstyles that will likely set trends, but also, if she follows the line of her latest interviews, by more personal statements about health, age and work-life balance that interest a much wider audience than just film buffs.
Everything points to Penelope Cruz's autumn being a mix of premieres, European red carpets, hairstyles imitated in Spanish hair salons, and necessary conversations about perimenopause , a combination that confirms her role not only as a movie star, but as a close reference for many women who look to her beyond the cinema.
