Name and occupation: Penelope Cruz, actress.  Age: 24. Provenance: Madrid. Previous Continental hits: Pedro Almodovar's Live Flesh, J. J. Luna Jamon, Jamon, and Fernando Trueba's Oscar-winning comedy, Belle Epoque. Now starring in her first English-language feature: Stephen Western drama, The Hi-Lo Country, starring Woody Harrelson, Patricia Arquette, and Billy Crudup. Are you a Frears-ophile? "I have seen Dangerous Liaisons, like, 14 times. I will be grateful to him all my life for giving me the opportunity to work with him. To me, he's a genius." How Cruz's summer resembled a scene from Ronin: "In Spain, we have a lot of problems with paparazzi. When I work, I think of it as part of my work, but they are around all the time. This summer I had three cars after me every day, all around Spain. It was absurd." Why, despite being chased by rabid cameramen, Cruz still believes there's no business like show business: "I think it is a privilege. Not everybody can do what they want to do and still eat. I'm very lucky. And it's getting better and better."

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