Penelope Cruz shares 'Zoolander 2' secrets: 'I laughed a lot'

Zoolander fans are eagerly counting down the days till the long-awaited sequel to the Ben Stiller comedy is released in February, and Penelope Cruz, who co-stars in the film, promises that it will be worth the wait.

"For all of the fans of the first one, I can tell them, I'm almost 100 percent sure, no I'm 100 percent sure, that this is going to be even better! It's really funny. It's hilarious," the Oscar winner told Harper's Bazaar in an interview on Tuesday.

"This film is even better than the first, it's hilarious," says Penelope of the fashion comedy sequel Photo: Getty Images

While the plot for Zoolander 2 is a closely kept secret, Ben, who plays male model Derek Zoolander and is the film's director, revealed that the story picks up 10 years after the 2001 film. "Though the last movie ended on a happy note, a lot of things have happened in the meantime," he told Empire magazine in 2011. Derek and fellow supermodel Hansel's (Owen Wilson) lives have changed, he said. "They're not really relevant anymore. It's a new world for them." The sequel's script was written by Jennifer Aniston's new husband, Justin Theroux, and the movie also stars Ben's wife, Christine Taylor, Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig.

Penelope and Ben shot scenes from the movie in Rome Photo: Getty Images

Based on photos from the set, Penelope appears to be playing Ben's love interest. The pair were seen rolling around in the mud while shooting a scene and she was also spotted wearing a sexy skintight red catsuit while filming with Ben and Owen in the Valentino store in Rome in June. Owen and Ben were also photographed strutting down the catwalk during Paris Fashion Week in March.

Ben (left) and Owen Wilson on the real-life Paris Fashion Week catwalk in March Photo: Getty Images

"I had a great time. I was there almost three months in Italy," Penelope told Harper's Bazaar. "Ben is such a hard worker and so talented, and you know to be there everyday with Ben and Owen, I laughed a lot. And Ben is very serious when he's working, but he forgets that he's wearing these absurd outfits when he's directing me."

Zoolander 2 is set for release on Feb. 12, 2016.

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