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Many people may recognize Penelope Cruz, 48, from her hit movies including Pirates of the Caribbean, Blow, Bandidas, and more. And since she is such a famous actress, it is no surprise that many might recognize Penelope when she is out and about. But, sometimes someone might actually be spotting her younger sister, Monica Cruz, 45, as the two siblings look so much alike! Below is everything we know about the Volver actresses’ sister, Monica.

Does Penelope Cruz Have A Twin?

Although the two sisters might look super alike, they are not actually twins, as many people might assume. In fact, they look so much alike that back in 2011, Monica played Penelope’s body double on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, because Penelope was pregnant with her son, Leo, 11. Both Penelope and her sister, Monica, were born in the Municipality of Alcobendas, Spain, to their parents, Encarna Sánchez, and Eduardo Cruz.

Monica is very close to her older sister, as she often refers to her as her best friend, according to her IMDb profile. Penelope, who is married to the actor, Javier Bardem, 53, has also expressed that she has a tight bond with Monica. Back in 2016, she even shared a video on Instagram of two dogs hugging and said that it encapsulated her and her sister’s bond. She captioned the sweet video, “My sister Monica and I on a photo shoot. Mi hermana Mónica y yo en una sesión de fotos…Yo sería la tipo lapa.” So cute!

How Old Is Monica Cruz?

The Oscar-winner’s sister, Monica, is three years younger than her. Monica was born on March 16, 1977, while Penelope was born on April 28, 1974. And despite their age difference, Monica, who is 45 years old, still gets mistaken for her older sis! Those are definitely good family genes, if we do say so ourselves!

Both Monica and Penelope also share one other sibling together, their younger brother, Eduardo Cruz, 37. The age difference between Penelope and Eduardo is 11 years, while it is about eight years between him and Monica. The three of them sure are sibling goals!

What Does Monica Cruz Do?

The middle sibling of the Cruz family decided to take after her older sister and pursue a career in acting. Monica has appeared in many TV shows in Spain and some American films. She is best known for her work in The Final Inquiry, Un paso adelante, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and Asterix at the Olympic Games.

In 2022, Monica began working on UPA Next, which is a reboot of the 2002 TV show Un paso adelante. She even shared a behind the scenes video on Instagram from the set. She captioned the post, “Silvia jáuregui… @upa_next” while getting her hair and makeup done for the show.

Aside from her work as an actress, Monica is also a mother, just like her sister. She has a daughter named Antonella Cruz Sánchez, 9, who she welcomed as a single parent back in 2013. She welcomed her only child via artificial insemination and raised her as a single mother, according to Esme. The UPA Next actress spoke to The Daily Mail back in 2014 about being a single mom and said she knew it was “too important” for her to wait any longer.

“I don’t think this makes me brave,” she told the outlet. “Why is it braver to be a single mother versus being with a partner? Being in a couple and having a child could be more challenging, because there might be conflict, if the male partner cannot understand the extreme attachment a woman feels when she has a child.”

Monica also added that it was not a decision she made lightly. “It was not a decision I took on a whim, but once I had thought about it – and investigated – I knew it had to happen. Being a mother was too important to me to risk running out of time,” she said.