Penelope Cruz Reveals She Was Warned of Brain Aneurysm Mid-Shoot on Cannes Favorite ‘The Black Ball’: ‘I Thought I Was About to Die’

Penélope Cruz disclosed at the Cannes press conference for “The Black Ball” (La Bola Negra) on Friday that she was warned of a potential brain aneurysm during the production of the film, and completed her scenes after receiving medical clearance the next day.

The revelation came a day after the Los Javis competition title earned a 16-minute standing ovation at its premiere in the Grand Théâtre Lumière.

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Cruz, who plays a cabaret singer in the film, said she received the news from a doctor on the eve of her night-shoot sequences – the scenes in which her character performs for soldiers. “And then when we’re about to go out, I was putting on my wig, and they said, ‘Oh, apparently you have some brain aneurysm,'” she said, describing her reaction: “I thought I was about to die. This is something that was totally surreal in my life.”

She said she was advised to continue the following day after the doctor confirmed she was cleared to sing and dance. Cruz described the moment as transformative. “I thought, ‘It’s a total miracle. I have to, I must have this in me,'” she said.

Cruz praised the production team for their support throughout the ordeal, and said the experience had informed her understanding of the character and the film’s broader themes. “You experience these things together, yet despite all this, despite the hardship, you can move forward in life,” she said.

The actor described the film’s ecstatic reception and sustained ovation at the premiere as “one of the strongest, most powerful moments I have ever experienced at the festival.”

“The Black Ball,” which also stars Glenn Close, Guitarricadelafuente, Miguel Bernardeau, Lola Dueñas and Carlos González, is in competition for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It is a a queer epic spanning 85 years of Spanish history and inspired by an unfinished fragment by Federico García Lorca. The film marks the Cannes competition debut for the filmmaking duo known collectively as Los Javis, who have built an ardent international following with the series “Veneno” and “La Mesías.”

The film opens in Spain on Oct. 2 via Elastica Films.