Penelope Cruz has revealed she knew she was famous when a stranger screamed ‘whore’ at her in the street.

‘Somebody passed by with a car and screamed “I love you” and 10 seconds later, somebody else passed by and said “whore”,’ she laughed.

‘Then I thought, “Okay, I think I understand about the contradictions and the love-hate relationship – the dynamic – that comes with being famous” or whatever you want to call it.’

Cruz, 35, said people began recognising her after she made debut movie Jamon Jamon, which also starred Javier Bardem.

‘After things changed and I was able to make this my way of living, to be able to live from this job – from acting,’ she told Ellen DeGeneres.

‘I understood the change one day when I was taking a walk in the street with my father and the two very extreme things happened.’

Cruz also spoke about her role in the forthcoming sequel to the Sex and the City movie.

‘I just wanted to be on that set because I’m a very big fan of the show, of the movie and of Sarah Jessica,’ she said. ‘But I don’t play myself, I play a banker.

‘I can’t really talk about it. They really don’t want me to say anything about what goes on in that scene. It’s a scene with Carrie and Mr Big.’