I’ve Waited Too Long For IRL Couple Javier Bardem & Penelope Cruz To Play Pablo Escobar & His Lover Virginia Vallejo
Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz have been in some incredible movies together, but ever since they became an IRL couple in 2007, we've been eager to see them portray one historical pair whose tumultuous, unstable, and romantic affair seems to be the perfect fit for an exciting film. Now, finally, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz will finally star as Pablo Escobar and Virginia Vallejo in an upcoming film called Loving Pablo.
Loving Pablo is a project Bardem, who also produced the film, has long been working on, and according to Deadline, it will finally premiere next week at Venice Film Festival. The film is based on Colombian journalist Virginia Vallejo's book Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar about her romantic relationship with Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.
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Bardem told Deadline, that unlike many other pieces of media about Escobar, this one primarily focuses on his personal relationships and how people's lives were affected by loving, caring for, and looking up to this criminal. He said, "That’s why it’s called Loving Pablo because this movie is through Virginia’s eyes but also it’s through all the eyes of all of those who loved Pablo Escobar on a personal level and envied and admired him also as a saviour. Our movie is about what happened when they ultimately discover what kind of a person he really is and the world that will leave behind." Bardem also explained that he wanted to go beyond all the stereotypical portrayals of this historical figure that we've seen so many times before.
As for Penelope Cruz, she prepared for the role of Virginia Vallejo by studying hours and hours of her many televised interviews and shows. Tapping into the emotions of the hard parts of Vallejo's life seems to have been an interesting challenge for Cruz. She explained, “When you portray a character like Virginia, I can’t judge her or justify her. I have the feeling she didn’t know quite what she was getting into. As an actor, I just have to try to understand what was going through her mind when she made some of those decisions. After a while, when she wanted to get out of that relationship, she couldn’t, and that affected her life in so many different ways. There were some scenes that were very hard-core, very hard to play because you had to go to those places. And for me, it was important that this movie was not glamorising the world of the Narco. I feel like some of those scenes have to leave you with pain in your stomach. It can not be a gratuitous violence. I think that our film has accomplished that."
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See the first clips of one of our favourite real-life celeb couples playing these lovers from the past, below.