Penélope Cruz explains why she and Javier Bardem raise their kids in Madrid

Hollywood or home? For Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, the answer is Madrid, and she has now explained why.

In an interview with The Perfect Magazine, published on Nov. 5, the Oscar winner said keeping her family's life private is simply easier in the Spanish capital than it would be in the US.

Why Madrid? 🏡

The couple have two children: Leo, 15, and Luna, 12. Cruz says the whole family is in Madrid, along with friends from her childhood and teenage years.

"It's easier to have a normal life, you know?" she said.

Still, privacy doesn't happen by accident. "You have to make an effort to keep a part of your life private," Cruz said. She believes it matters even more with kids. They "deserve that," she said, and they can decide later what they want to do for work. Until then, she wants them to have freedom and not be exposed to things when they are little.

Still learning about each other

Cruz, 52, and Bardem have been married for more than 16 years. They tied the knot in 2010 in a private ceremony in the Bahamas.

They met on the set of Jamón Jamón in 1992. They became a couple after making Vicky Cristina Barcelona in 2008.

In July, Cruz told People she is still learning about her partner, someone she has known for 33 years. She was promoting The Invite, in which she stars opposite Edward Norton, and the film's tangled relationships came up. "Is there a day where you really get to know yourself?" she asked. "No. So the same with your partner."

Working together, but not too often

There is one more ingredient in their recipe: not sharing a film set all the time.

Cruz told Marie Claire in 2019 that they don't pick roles just because working together would be easier logistically. "It's not something we want to do that often," she said, partly out of a desire to protect what they have.

So expect the odd joint project, but only "once in a while."