Penelope Cruz says she lost her first lead role in a Hollywood movie because the team wanted to include a nude scene at the last minute.
The actor, who was just 21 years old and on the cusp of stardom, said she decided to follow her heart even when it meant losing a big opportunity.
The Oscar-winning star, who recently played the role of Donatella Versace in FX's "The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story", said she was sent an "amazing script" for a lead role in a major American movie and she took four months of English lessons before flying to Los Angeles for her final audition.
"When I get there, completely jet-lagged... they say, 'Oh, we have to see you in the office.' They wanted to add something to (my contract). They said, 'If you want to do the screen test, you have to accept that there are going to be some naked scenes that were not in the script'."
"I called the heads of the studio. I didn't speak English, but in that meeting, I spoke English. I said, 'If you think you can treat people like this with me, it's not going to work. My family loves me, I'm gonna get back on the plane, and I don't care if I don't do your movie. But you know what? I'm gonna do your screen test.' They looked at me like something was wrong with me."
"I knew that I didn't get the movie. But I can tell you today, I am 44 now, it is one of the moments where I felt most proud of myself. In that moment I felt, 'The day that I die, I will remember this moment'... I remember the feeling was so special to me, it made me stronger. And I think from that 'no', many other 'yes' have arrived in my life."
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