Penelope Cruz recalls how Prince gave the best parties in Hollywood

Prince, the king of the party!
The Spanish actress remembers Prince
She arrived in the U.S. as a young actress
That's when she met Prince
A trip down Memory Lane
No, Jimmy Fallon was not invited!
Mind-blowing stories
Other celebrity guests at Prince's parties
Stars around every corner
Diddy and Timberlake
Penelope Cruz, singing and dancing
Prince, very much at ease
From party to studio
She misses her friend
Prince, the king of the party!

As a guest of Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show, Penelope Cruz revealed that Prince was not only a good friend of hers but also one of the best party hosts in Hollywood.

The Spanish actress remembers Prince

Penelope Cruz actress visited Jimmy Fallon in late 2021. She told some great stories about her friend Prince, who passed away in April 2016.

She arrived in the U.S. as a young actress

The actress started her career in her native Spain, but at some point she decided to study English and try to break through in the United States. She was 19 years old at the time. "I spent a couple of years there, but I always went back and forth," she said. "It was a dream to be able to act in this industry. I have been very lucky to be able to work in different countries in Europe and also here."

That's when she met Prince

She said that in the beginning she was a little nervous around the legendary musician. "At first it was weird because I didn't know what to call him. The Symbol? Prince?"

A trip down Memory Lane

Penelope Cruz remembers that the late artist was "always very kind to me and my family." She also took a trip down Memory Lane in the Tonight Show, remembering the parties Prince used to give.

No, Jimmy Fallon was not invited!

As a comedian and TV host, Jimmy Fallon had heard of those famous Hollywood parties before. But he was never invited! "Prince forgot to invite me," Fallon joked.

Mind-blowing stories

When Penelope Cruz started to explain what was going on during these parties, even Jimmy Fallon couldn't believe it!

"Those parties were THE parties"

"He used to throw parties at his house that you sure know. Those parties were THE parties," she said, getting ready for some juicy gossip.

"At his parties I stayed until 5 in the morning"

"I am not a party girl," she says, "but when I went to [Prince's parties], I stayed until 5 in the morning for the wonderful things that happened in that room."

Other celebrity guests at Prince's parties

And that's when Penelope Cruz started naming the names of other guests dancing the night away at Prince's house...

Stars around every corner

"You could see Stevie Wonder singing with Alicia Keys and Pharrell dancing with Diddy and Justin Timberlake..."

Diddy and Timberlake

They all got along very well and danced until the early morning.

Penelope Cruz, singing and dancing

Penelope recalled the time Prince asked her to join him for a performance at his party. "I was looking forward to getting off [the stage] because it was scary. He expected us to dance and maybe sing," she said.

Prince, very much at ease

Prince would be at the party, play some music, talk to people, but then he had no problem going to bed and letting the guests continue the evening at his house!

"Good night"

"Prince would come, he would stay with us a bit and then he would put on his pajamas, say goodbye to us and go to bed...," Penelope Cruz said, much to Jimmy Fallon's surprise.

From party to studio

It also happened at times that the artist got inspired by the party and decided to record some music. "One day he went straight to the studio at night," Cruz said.

She misses her friend

Prince passed away more than five years ago. "There isn't a single day that I don't miss him," Penelope Cruz told Jimmy Fallon.