When Hollywood stars fall in love with a Spaniard: ten relationships that crossed an ocean
Bradley Cooper and Ana de Armas, about whose relationship is speculated in the pink press, could be the last in a long list that have united global celebrities with Spanish actresses, singers and dancers
The case of Ana de Armas and Bradley Cooper, if confirmed, could be the latest in a long list of Spanish men and women who fell in love with international stars. The Cuban-Spanish actress (she was born on the Caribbean island, but her grandparents are Spanish, she has lived here and has dual nationality) is living a sweet moment in Hollywood and aspires to be one of the great stars of this decade . Cooper is still enjoying the enormous success as an actor and director that A Star Is Born has brought. The two met on the set of War dogs in 2016 and, according to some American social media, they have maintained a good friendship that could have turned into a love relationship in recent months.
We do not know if this will remain in another gimmicky headline or will become one of those high-flying romances that the pink press around the world love so much. For now, let's review these other romances between Spanish men and women who fell in love with well-known actors, models and directors throughout the world.
Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky
He (Melbourne, 1983) is Australian, actor, sex symbol par excellence of the ten years and one of the highest paid actors in the world. She (Madrid, 1976) Spanish, was a benchmark for several generations since the nineties thanks to roles such as that of Al Saluting Class or Ninette and, in her day, a Spanish promise in Hollywood. Chris and Elsa are one of the most established couples in the world of cinema. They met in 2010 and got married at the end of the same year. They have three children (a girl and two twins) and they often come to Spain: the last two summers they could be seen in San Sebastián, Madrid, Ibiza or Formentera.
Naomi Campbell and Joaquín Cortés
She (London, 1970) is British and one of the most famous supermodels in history. He (Córdoba, 1969) is an internationally successful bailaor. And the Fashion Café brought them together. That business will remain forever in the corporate memory as a failed experiment: the attempt of the model world to make its own chain of restaurants such as Planet Hollywood or Hard Rock Café resulted in only five establishments and the closure four years later. However, the inauguration of its ephemeral headquarters in Barcelona allowed Naomi Campbell and Joaquín Cortés to meet and begin one of the most tumultuous and memorable romances of the decade. Their relationship left a few photos to remember (remember the one in which he brings her a huge chandelier for her to light a cigarette) and a dramatic ending: in June 1997 she suffered a barbiturate overdose in Gran Canaria after a strong discussion between the two. The relationship ended shortly after. This stormy romance continued better than many expected: they have met again and greeted each other warmly, for example in Capri in 2002.
Bruce Willis and María Bravo
From the Fashion Café in Barcelona to Planet Hollywood in Madrid, a slightly more fortunate business adventure (not too much) that also led to a relationship: that of the actor Bruce Willis (Idar-Oberstein, Germany, 1955) and the Spanish actress and businesswoman María Bravo (Málaga, 1967), who met at the inauguration of the headquarters (now closed) in Madrid. She had come with her sister, who performed with the music group Gipsy Kings at the event, and they introduced her to the actor, who called her the next day. After twenty months of relationship in which they could be seen walking through different parts of Spain, the relationship came to an end in October 2001 after an infidelity by him, as she would later tell. She also said that Demi Moore, Willis's ex-wife, even sent him a letter of encouragement. International sorority.
- Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz
Of all the love affairs between Hollywood and Spain, that of Tom Cruise (New York, 1962) and Penelope (Madrid, 1974) is perhaps the one that has made the most headlines. He was the most famous and sought-after actor in Hollywood, she was a rising star in the United States who would end up triumphing and winning an Oscar not many years later. They began their relationship in the filming of Vanilla Sky (2001), the American version of Open Your Eyes, and ended it in 2004. In the biography about Tom Cruise written by British Andrew Morton, the author stated that she “was not willing to swallow with everything related to Scientology and this was one of the reasons for the rupture ”. The US edition of Vanity Fair assured, in a controversial investigative report, that the organization never looked favorably on Cruz for his “Buddhist beliefs” and that after the break with Cruise, Scientology opened “a casting process” to find him a new girlfriend. And they found Katie Holmes. That, as time showed, did not go well either.
- Richard Gere and Alejandra Silva
Richard Gere (Philadelphia, 1949), Hollywood star for three decades in which he left titles such as American gigolo, Officer and gentleman, Pretty woman or Chicago, met the Galician businesswoman Alejandra Silva (A Coruña, 1973) in 2014 in Positano ( Italia), when she stayed in one of the hotels she managed. They were married on the estate that Richard Gere has in New York in 2018, in a civil ceremony where there were several Tibetan monks (he is a Buddhist and she converted after meeting him). Since the union (which has given a child and another will arrive in 2020) he has spent a lot of time in Spain and has gotten wet in various causes: he has met with President Pedro Sánchez in La Moncloa to talk about the homeless and has visited the Open Arms.
- Josh Hutcherson and Claudia Traisac
Josh Hutcherson (Kentucky, 1992) is, along with Jennifer Lawrence, the star of the saga The Hunger Games, one of the highest grossing in the history of cinema (it has raised almost 2,700 million euros). Claudia Traisac (Madrid, 1992) has appeared in Cuéntame, Paquita Salas, the musical Today I can't get up and Escobar: Paradise Lost. It was during the filming of the latter, in 2013, where they both met and fell in love. Since then they have been one of the most stable and discreet couples of young Hollywood and his love for Spain is such that he can often be seen hanging out in bars in the capital, as a spectator at Primavera Sound in Barcelona or at group concerts. like The Parrots. And she has even made a cameo in Paquita Salas, the series where she gave life to a kind of Anna Allen. She is currently in the Netflix series Alta Mar and he is awaiting the premiere of The long home, by James Franco.
- Anthony Mann and Sara Montiel
Sara Montiel (1928-2013) was the first Spanish to go to Hollywood and also the first to fall in love with a great director. Anthony Mann (1906-1967) had Winchester 73, Far Horizons, Black Bay, Cimarrón or The Fall of the Roman Empire in his filmography. She had triumphed in the United States, but in 1957 she had the greatest success of her with the Spanish The Last Cuplé and she decided to leave Hollywood. "Who would want to play an Indian again?" She declared to EL PAÍS. That same year they were married. The marriage did not last long: they separated in 1963. According to her, she married him to get away from her then true love, Nobel laureate Severo Ochoa. He passed away shortly after the divorce. Her career would span decades, whether in film, theater, music or, ultimately, simply in the condition of survivor and diva of those before her. After her death in 2013, gossip magazines in Spain were never the same again.
- Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Thomas
He (New York, 1958) is one of the great Hollywood movie stars of the nineties, known both for his roles in Bitelchús, Glengary Glen Ross or Ella Always Says Yes, and for his stormy marriage to Kim Basinger. Baldwin has been recycled into an award-winning television performer thanks to series like 30 Rock. She (Mallorca, 1984) is a yoga instructor, writer and television presenter born in Mallorca (1984). They met at a vegetarian restaurant in Manhattan in 2011. They were married the following year and have since had four children.
- Eva Longoria and Eduardo Cruz
Repeat a Cross on this list: Eduardo (Madrid, 1985), the Spanish musician living in Los Angeles and brother of Penelope, had an affair with actress Eva Longoria (Texas, 1975), American by birth but with Mexican and Spanish ancestry. The relationship became known in the press in February 2011 after Penelope introduced them. Eva is friends with another Spanish woman on this list, María Bravo, so during 2011 and 2012 it was common to see the Spanish clan (the Cruz and María Bravo) in the press alternate with Eva Longoria and other Hollywood stars. The relationship ended in 2012 and since then both have found stability with other couples. Eduardo became a father last October with his current partner, the Argentine actress and model Eva de Dominici.
- Viggo Mortensen and Ariadna Gil
Viggo Mortensen (New York, 1958) began a relationship with Ariadna Gil (Barcelona, 1969) in 2009 and changed his residence to Madrid, where it is common to see the couple, who alternate a quiet life of walks and restaurants with visits to the Red carpet at the Oscars when he was nominated (as happened in 2017 and 2019, in both cases for Best Supporting Actor). Although at first their relationship was striking for the press, which often photographed them, the normality of the couple's life in the capital eventually prevailed. "I don't give them much food, they no longer find what I do interesting, go out to buy bread, go to the vet ...", declared the actor to El País Semanal in 2015. "It is annoying that they meddle in your life, but it is obvious that you don't care so much or you don't do a performance for them, they end up getting tired and leave you alone ”. Very sensible Mortensen.
