Recently, the gorgeous Spanish actress Penelope Cruz said that she was considering retiring from the spotlight and going in another direction. Tired of always being in front of the cameras, Cruz stated that she is thinking changing her perspective and trying her hand at directing.

Until she can materialize her dream, Penelope is decided to take a short break from the movie industry, so that she can ponder at length all the changes that such a career change will naturally imply. But that doesn't mean that she will never again be the main star in a movie: the pause is meant to be just a short one.

Penelope said that she would be taking some time off, in order to better pick her next part while, at the same time, focus on other projects that have been on her mind for a long time now. These also include making her directorial debut, a thing with which Penelope has been obsessed for quite some time.

'[I will] read material, be a little more picky with what I do next, try to spend less time on a movie set and more time creating and developing things', Cruz said when she was asked about her acting plans. As for directing a movie, the actress said: 'I bought the rights of a book last year and I'm a very persistent person so I feel like I can put a lot of my energy into that and not spend the whole year on a movie set, maybe shoot a little less and use more of my time for other things'.