Penelope Cruz in September 2012 W Magazine

Penelope Cruz covers W's upcoming September issue, which will be on newsstands Aug. 21. She spoke about her upcoming film, Venuto al Mondo, in the publication, as well as her most recent Woody Allen collaboration, To Rome With Love. Penelope spoke about her career and relationships with directors like Woody and Spain's Pedro Almodovar. She also touched on working with her husband, Javier Bardem, and her secret to acting in a comedy. Here are highlights from Penelope Cruz in W:

• On working in foreign languages with Woody: "He gave [her and Javier] the [Vicky Cristina Barcelona] script he wrote in English, and he gave us the freedom to translate and improvise. Woody told me recently that he still doesn’t know if we are talking about the atomic bomb. And it's the same thing in To Rome With Love — he doesn't speak Italian. I translated my lines. So he still doesn't know what I am saying."
• On working in English, not her native language: "There is a part of your brain that has to stop when you're acting. You have to be in the moment and dare to fly. Words can't be on your mind. And yet, when you are working in a foreign language, you have to be thinking about the words every single second. It's difficult, but I'm not complaining. It's just the way it is."
• The key to acting in a comedy: "I don't play comedy as comedy. That would be the biggest trap. I think about the characters and their situations. Then you don't have to worry where the laugh is going to be. But comedy is harder than drama."

Photos courtesy Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott for W