Penélope Cruz has worked with some of cinema’s greatest directors. One missed opportunity still hurts: “He left too early”

Penélope Cruz says she regrets never working with French director Claude Chabrol, despite the pair corresponding for a long time. Chabrol died in 2010, and Cruz said he “left us too early”; their missed collaboration matters as a lost chance to bring together two artists known for complex portrayals of women.

Chabrol, a leading figure in the French New Wave often called the “French Hitchcock”, made films about obsession, guilt and murder in everyday settings. His female characters were often morally complicated and active within restrictive social expectations, as seen in films starring Isabelle Huppert, including *Violette Nozière* and *Une Affaire de Femmes*. The article argues Cruz’s similarly layered performances, including her Oscar-winning role in *Vicky Cristina Barcelona*, might have suited his work.