For the past 12 years, Penélope Cruz has spent her evenings studying medicine out of personal interest, not as a career move. She shared the detail during a promotional interview for the film The Invite, alongside director Olivia Wilde and Seth Rogen. Asked about unusual hobbies, Cruz said her interest in medicine began in childhood and has since become part of her nightly routine.
Cruz said her fascination with medicine began early, sparked by childhood games in which she pretended to be a doctor. Over the last decade, she has made a habit of reading medical literature, with a focus on complex topics such as the endocrine system. Her studies are for personal fulfillment, not to prepare for professional practice. They bring her deep happiness, she said, though she finds it difficult to explain why.
The admission surprised her co-stars. Seth Rogen asked whether she planned to become a doctor, and Cruz said her studies are purely recreational. She described a rigorous approach built around thick textbooks, not online tutorials. Wilde and Rogen also shared their hobbies, miniature model building and pottery, but neither matched the unexpected scale of Cruz’s commitment to medical study.
The Invite is an English-language dramatic comedy directed by Wilde. Cruz and Rogen star, with Edward Norton and Wilde also in the cast. Cruz plays Piña, Norton plays Hawk, Wilde plays Angela and Rogen plays her husband, Joe. The 107-minute film follows Angela and Joe as they host their neighbors, Piña and Hawk, for dinner. The gathering brings unspoken tensions and expectations about relationships and intimacy into the open.
The screenplay was written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack. The film is based on Cesc Gay’s 2020 Spanish comedy Sentimental, which grew out of Gay’s stage play Los vecinos de arriba. The dinner-party story has also been adapted in South Korea and the Czech Republic, as well as Portugal and the Netherlands. After its Sundance premiere, the A24 release opened in U.S. theaters on June 26, 2026. Its Spanish theatrical release followed on October 16.
Wilde has described the production as collaborative. The four principal actors rehearsed for 10 days, developing the two couples together. Cruz also helped shape her character, proposing a blonde look roughly two weeks before filming and contributing Spanish-language material. She also brought improvisational dialogue and a monologue about perimenopause to the role. Wilde said that “the DNA of Penélope Cruz is in the whole film,” reflecting the actor’s influence on the finished performance.
After working under Wilde’s direction, Cruz expressed admiration for the director and the project, particularly because she was unable to attend the film’s premiere. She thanked the team for including her in the production and praised her experience working with the cast and crew.
Cruz’s long-term pursuit of medical study as a hobby stands out among Spanish and international celebrities. Many public figures take up creative or athletic pastimes, while her choice reflects a commitment to intellectual growth beyond her acting career. Interest in medical education remains high in Spain, whose universities are known for rigorous training and research. Cruz’s story may resonate with people who value lifelong learning and the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, whatever their professional ambitions.
