Pirate Penélope drops anchor at Cannes

Disneyland to Moscow, on to London and Madrid, with a quick trip to Cannes thrown in between; such is the life of Penélope Cruz these days as she continues her mega-promotional tour for Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides.

The blockbuster, which features a number of Spanish actors, screened out of competition as part of the festival's Official Selection. Cruz dazzles as a pirate who once, in a moment of weakness, had a romance with Captain Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp. Now she is set to become his greatest foe.

Elegant in a sleeveless blue gown, Cruz, as usual, didn't disappoint at Cannes. She spoke affectionately of all her coworkers. "I was looking forward to working with Rob [Marshall] once more [the two worked together on Nine] and to teaming up with Depp again. I feel really fortunate for having formed part of this special group."

In return, Depp had only praise for Cruz. "She is so talented, smart, and funny. She is a great actress and friend, and an amazing person."

The filming schedule had to be rearranged around Cruz's pregnancy. "We rehearsed for two months in Los Angeles. I was well looked after and everybody was very protective of me all the time," she said.

Director Rob Marshall added: "Penelope is a great dancer. We rearranged the dates and filmed the most physical scenes first. The truth is that I thought of her for this role for her physical ability, among other reasons."

"In the end, we had to get my sister, Mónica, to help and she spent a week-and-a-half in London filling in for me," Cruz said.

Standing in the middle of the Babylon that is Cannes, where films are screened in dozens of languages, the actress confessed: "Years ago, I felt lost on the set because I didn't understand anything. That has changed now. I feel really lucky that I am able to work in several languages."