Winner Cruz feels no more in control

Actress Penelope Cruz accepts the Oscar for best supporting actress for her work in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." (Mark J. Terrill/AP)

BY BILL ZWECKER
Sun-Times Columnist

Moments after winning her Oscar for ''Vicky Cristina Barcelona,'' Penelope Cruz was still in total shock backstage, wanting ''to call Woody Allen right now -- maybe that will make it real.''

Yet, Cruz revealed she didn't believe an Academy Award would cure her of her well-known sense of insecurity about her talent. ''I have always been insecure on the set [of all my movies] no matter what. Working with Woody Allen helped, because I never doubted the genius of Woody Allen.

''Yet, when I read the script, I laughed a lot, but when I got into the character of Maria Elena on the set, I didn't want to laugh. We all knew it was a comedy, but when you're making it, you can't think about what is funny or where the jokes are. It wasn't until I finally saw it at Cannes -- and people were laughing so much. I found that so surprising.''