Penélope Cruz Admits She Fangirls over Meryl Streep at Awards Shows: 'My Favorite Actress' (Exclusive)

Penélope Cruz is proof that even stars get starstruck.

Speaking with PEOPLE’s Janine Rubenstein and Entertainment Weekly’s Patrick Gomez on the red carpet of the 2024 SAG Awards, Cruz, 50, talked about her love of fellow actress Meryl Streep, 74.

“I just saw Meryl again, and she’s the one that I always rush to hug. She’s always so sweet and so kind. She’s my favorite actress of all time,” says Cruz, who was nominated for outstanding actress in a supporting role for playing Laura Ferrari in Ferrari.

It’s not the first time Cruz has praised Streep. At a 2023 BAFTA Life In Pictures event in London honoring Cruz, she named Streep when asked whom she's most eager to collaborate with for the first time, according to Deadline.

“Meryl Streep. I’m always begging my agents to take me to her set, just to bring her coffee or anything,” Cruz quipped, according to the outlet.

“Every time I see her, I run to hug her. And she’s so patient because every time I act like this is the first time I do it," she continued.

Cruz said she "could not believe it" when three-time Oscar-winner Streep named Cruz in a speech after the Only Murders in the Building star received an Icon Award at the 3rd annual Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles. 

"I watched [Streep's speech] 20 times to make sure," Cruz said. "It was like she knows that I exist, you know? She is my number one, number one hero and would love to work with her.”

Cruz and Streep have yet to make a film together, though they did once costar in a magazine shoot for the charity (RED) that Cruz dubbed "the most interesting love scene I’ve ever done" back in 2012, according to Vanity Fair.