On Tuesday night, the Museum of Modern Art’s 2021 Film Benefit, presented by Chanel, returned to an in-person celebration and program, reuniting New York's glitterati and film aficionados for a festive celebration of Academy Award–winning actor Penélope Cruz. Still fresh off her win for best actress at the Venice Film Festival for her performance in Pedro Almodovar's Parallel Mothers, Cruz caught up with friends Anne Hathaway and Diane Kruger, former costar Ricky Martin, and funny people Judd Apatow, Leslie Mann, and Kristen Wiig.

Cruz's Vicky Christina Barcelona costar Rebecca Hall, whose film Passing is currently winning plaudits on the awards' circuit, recalled her time on set with Cruz fondly. "The first half [of filming] was the American section with all the American actors. This consisted of early bedtimes and a diligent attention to alcohol intake, gym going, and a deep concern about how much salt there was in the local cooking. Then the second half, when the Spaniards turned up, everything got very different," she lsaid, laughing. "My time offset turned into a fantastical wonderland of good food, good wine, and dancing. So much dancing. And leading all of these adventures was Penélope. It seemed woven into her ethos as a performer that to act well, you must live well. And I believe that because of her, the philosophy of that set changed. We would work hard during the week than exercise it all on the weekend, even harder... To be in her presence on her turf felt like being in front of royalty."

Singer-songwriter Rosalía was next, cooing over her childhood hero. "Penélope, you are such an icon, you are such a legend, and I don't know how many times I named you as a reference... I remember with my sister doing mood boards and we were like, 'Oh, remember when Penélope was wearing the wig, when she was blonde?' And then, 'Oh no, no remember when she was wearing the dress, the red dress.' We have always been obsessed with you forever. And you made it look like it was possible to make it from where we come from."

Martin praised her philanthropy and a prerecorded clip from Lupita Nyong'o got the audience excited for their upcoming collaboration in January's all-female spy epic, 355. At last, Cruz took the stage, remembering the day a video-rental store arrived in her neighborhood. "My father bought a Beta max machine, and I asked for my own membership card. I spent hours watching and rewatching films, rewind and return. Spanish films, French, Italian films, and of course, also American films. I fell in love with Audrey [Hepburn], in Love in the Afternoon. I cried as Meryl [Streep] had to make the toughest decision. I was terrified of Jaws. I cried with Shirley MacLaine and Deborah Winger, and I learned some steps from John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever." She also confessed to being the world's biggest Almodovar fan. "It was clear in the way he wrote incredible, complex visceral female characters how much Pedro loved and respected women."

As the applause for Cruz finally died down, actor Riley Keough introduced six-time Grammy nominee Giveon, who closed the night with a live performance that brought the crowd to its feet before everyone dashed off into the winter New York night.

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