This year, Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem entered a very small club, and one that includes only five other couples; both were nominated for Academy Awards for their acting performances. Cruz was up for her role in long-time collaborator Pedro Almodóvar’s “Parallel Mothers,” and Bardem was nominated for his turn as Desi Arnaz in “Being the Ricardos.” The glamorous husband and wife team showed up on the red carpet in grand style. Cruz wore a Chanel gown that reportedly took 680 hours to make (per People). If they had both won, they would have been the first married actors to do so, but unfortunately, neither received the Oscar.
Bardem told People, “I mean, the fact that we are both nominated … in the same year, it’s something that is really unique.” He also told Deadline, “We were on the sofa, cuddled together waiting to see what was going to happen. When they announced my nomination first, I was very excited, but it wasn’t a true celebration until we heard she was also nominated. We would not be able to truly celebrate together if one of us was disappointed. As soon as her nomination came through, we really felt the emotion of what this all means. This really hit us deep in our hearts to be able to share something so beautiful and so special together.”
