Cruz 's first film of 2016 was the American comedy , '' Zoolander 2 '' , co-starring and directed by Ben Stiller . In the sequel film , Cruz portrayed a secret Interpol agent who enlists models Derek Zoolander ( Stiller ) and Hansel McDonald , played by Owen Wilson , to help find out who is killing the world ’s most beautiful people . Specifically written for her persona , Cruz , a fan of the original 2001 film , was one of the first actors to be cast in their parts . Upon its release , the film received generally negative reviews from critics , who felt that it had " more celebrity cameos than laughs . " Cruz 's other film that year was Louis Leterrier 's British spy comedy '' Grimsby '' , in which she played a powerful philanthropist , opposite Sacha Baron Cohen and Mark Strong . Cruz was reportedly offered $ 400,000 for her appearance in the film , which was released to generally mixed reviews from critics , who felt that the actress was highly underused and " looking even less invested here than she did in '' Zoolander 2 '' . " Also in 2016 , Cruz reteamed with Fernando Trueba on his Spanish-language period pic '' The Queen of Spain '' , a sequel to Trueba 's 1998 drama '' The Girl of Your Dreams '' . Set in the 1950s , twenty years after the events of the original film , Cruz reprised the role of an actress , who has become a Hollywood star and returns to Spain to film a blockbuster about Queen Isabella I of Castile . Selected to be shown in the Berlinale Special section of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival , the Spanish comedy-drama was screened to lukewarm reviews , but received five nominations at the 31st Goya Awards , earning her Cruz her ninth nomination
67th Berlin International Film Festival
67th Berlin International Film Festival
Penélope Cruz