Penélope Cruz on Protecting Her Mental Health During a 3-Day Fight Scene for Thriller ‘Bunker’

Penélope Cruz has opened up about the emotional demands of filming her upcoming psychological thriller Bunker, revealing how she learned to protect her mental health while performing an intense three-day argument scene opposite her real-life husband, Javier Bardem.

Cruz discussed the experience during an interview with TheWrap at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, where Bunker was presented following its earlier premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

A Three-Day Scene With Javier Bardem

In Bunker, Cruz plays Sofia, a book editor whose marriage comes under severe strain after her husband, Miguel, an architect played by Bardem, agrees to build a survivalist bunker for a billionaire.

One of the film’s most demanding sequences is an extended argument between the married couple. According to Cruz, the scene took approximately three days to shoot.

The emotional intensity was particularly significant because Cruz and Bardem are married in real life.

Cruz acknowledged that some moments affected her emotionally, but emphasized that the experience was not simply about working with her husband.

Learning to Step In and Out of Character

Cruz also explained how her approach to acting has changed over the years.

Earlier in her career, she said she would sometimes remain emotionally connected to a character for weeks or even months. She eventually came to believe that staying in that state could become overwhelming and could negatively affect both her personal life and her work.

Her acting teacher and theatre director Juan Carlos Corazza helped her develop a different approach: moving between fiction and reality during the working day rather than remaining immersed in the character continuously.

Cruz said this ability to move between the two worlds helped make the work better while also making the process safer for her mental health.

Keeping Fiction and Reality Separate

For Cruz and Bardem, maintaining a clear boundary between their real relationship and their characters was particularly important.

Bardem explained that the intense scenes were an opportunity to explore the thin line between fiction and reality, while emphasizing the importance of being able to return to their real lives when the director called cut.

Director Florian Zeller also played an important role in maintaining that separation. Bardem said Zeller was able to guide the actors back toward the fictional story whenever the intensity of a scene became particularly difficult.

What Is ‘Bunker’ About?

Bunker is a psychological thriller written and directed by Florian Zeller and specifically developed with Cruz and Bardem in mind.

The story centers on Miguel, a successful architect who accepts a controversial project to construct a luxurious survival bunker for a billionaire. His decision creates a deep conflict with Sofia and forces the couple to confront questions about their relationship, values and ambitions.

The film also stars Stephen Graham, Paul Dano and Patrick Schwarzenegger.

A Different Kind of Challenge for Cruz and Bardem

Although Cruz and Bardem have worked together before, Bunker places them in an unusually intimate situation because their characters are a married couple whose relationship is breaking down.

Cruz has described the experience of working with her husband as both rewarding and challenging. The trust between the two actors allowed them to take emotional risks while relying on the director and the boundaries of the production to keep the work grounded in fiction.

The film received significant attention during its festival run, including a lengthy standing ovation at Venice. It also had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 14, 2026.

‘Bunker’ Heads Toward 2027 Release

Following its festival premieres, Bunker is scheduled for release by Sony Pictures Classics in early 2027.

For Cruz, the film represents another challenging dramatic role, while her comments about the production offer a glimpse into the emotional discipline required when actors have to repeatedly enter and leave intense fictional situations.

Her experience also highlights how modern acting techniques can involve not only getting deeply into a character, but knowing when—and how—to step back out.

Final Thoughts

Penélope Cruz’s experience filming Bunker shows the unusual demands that can come with emotionally intense performances, particularly when the story brings actors into situations that closely resemble aspects of their real lives.

By learning to move between character and reality, Cruz says she found a way to protect her mental well-being without sacrificing the intensity required for the performance.

With Cruz and Bardem at the center of the story, Bunker is shaping up as one of the more closely watched psychological dramas heading toward its 2027 release.