Penélope Cruz only took two days off work after father's sudden death

Penélope Cruz has recalled how she took just two days off work following her father's sudden death.

The Spanish actress's father, Eduardo, passed away from a heart attack at the age of 62 in June 2015.

Reflecting on her grief in an interview for Porter magazine published Sunday, Penélope recounted how she was in the middle of filming Zoolander 2 when she discovered the news.

"I was doing Zoolander when my father died," she began. "We were shooting Friday night. He died at two in the morning. Really young, a heart attack out of the blue. I remember being so close to passing out from the shock."

Penélope flew back to Madrid to attend the funeral on Sunday and was back on the film set, which was largely shot in Rome, Italy, by Monday.

"On Monday morning, I had to be on set again, trying to make people laugh, shooting a comedy," the 52-year-old sighed.

Yet, the Vicky Cristina Barcelona star wasn't alone in her experience, as her co-star and director, Ben Stiller, lost his mother, Anne Meara, around the same time. The actress passed away at the age of 85 in May 2015.

"Two weeks before that, the same thing had happened to Ben Stiller with his mom," she added. "The film couldn't stop for him, or for me. Every time I see Ben, I think, 'Wow, what we went through.'"

Elsewhere in the conversation, the Oscar winner shared how she is passionate about advocating for women's health, particularly as her doctor warned her about a possible brain aneurysm while she was shooting The Black Ball last year.

"I have had many scares like that. Fortunately, I'm fine, it was a false alarm," the mother-of-two commented. "(I) worry about staying healthy, taking care of myself. I don't drink, I don't smoke, I really don't party. Without health, we have nothing. You talk about real equality? Why don't we start with health?"

Penélope is currently promoting the comedy The Invite, directed by Olivia Wilde. Co-starring Seth Rogen, Olivia, and Edward Norton, the film is showing in select theatres.