Spanish actress Penelope Cruz is the 11th sexiest woman alive for Esquire.

Cruz joins Angelina Jolie, Minka Kelly, Rihanna and Mila Kunis, who have also been awarded the title, notes E! News.

The actress explained that she was known as a drama queen before.

"I've played a lot of tricks on myself," she said. "I've made it hard for me sometimes, especially in my teens and 20s. I had an attraction to drama. Most of us have that, especially if you are an artist -- you feel like you are tempted to explore the darkness."

The writer described Cruz as someone who did not have any physical flaws.

Cruz explained that as a child she would lie about her age to get into movie theaters to see Pedro Almodóvar films. She said "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!" made her want to become an actress just so that she could tell Almodóvar how it affected her.

Cruz, who speaks four languages, loves learning and she says she is always hungry.

During the interview, she eats a bone-in ribeye steak that has coarse salt over the top, and it is cooked rare.

Cruz would not talk about her relationship with Javier Bardem, who she has known since she was 17. The one thing she did share is that her family has kept her busy lately. Cruz said she doesn't feel like the sexiest woman alive. Instead, she feels like a mother who isn't sleeping enough.

Cruz didn't want to speak about the letter she signed, where she condemned the bombing of Gaza by Israel.

Cruz said, "My only wish and intention in signing that group letter is the hope that there will be peace."

The author continues to describe Cruz as a mystery, which he later supports with Cruz explaining that she sometimes confuses the experiences her characters have as her own.