- 2009: Nominated for the 2008 Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”)
- 2008: Played Javier Bardem's unstable ex-wife in Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
- 2008: Nominated for the 2008 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”)
- 2008: Nominated for the 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”)
- 2008: Played Ben Kingsley's student in "Elegy"
- 2008: Nominated for the 2008 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”)
- 2007: Cast as the dream embodiment of the perfect woman in Jake Paltrow's directorial debut, "The Good Night"
- 2006: Earned critical acclaim for her performance in Pedro Almodóvar’s “Volver”; premiered at the Cannes Film Festival; received Golden Globe, SAG and Oscar nominations for Best Actress
- 2005: Co-starred with Matthew McConaughey in "Sahara"
- 2005: Cast as a destitute woman, who becomes involved with an upper-crust physician in "Non ti muovere"
- 2004: Starred with Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend in the 1930's war drama "Head in the Clouds"
- 2003: Starred with Halle Berry in the thriller "Gothika"
- 2001: Selected by Ralph Lauren to appear in an advertising campaign for his products
- 2001: Cast as the drug-addled wife of a cocaine dealer (played by Johnny Depp) in "Blow"
- 2001: Had female lead in the triangular romance "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" opposite Nicolas Cage and Christian Bale
- 2001: Starred opposite Tom Cruise in Cameron Crowe's "Vanilla Sky"; reprised original role from the Spanish film "Open Your Eyes"
- 2000: Starred as a South American chef in the comedy "Woman on Top"
- 1999: Cast as Matt Damon's love interest in "All the Pretty Horses" (released in 2000)
- 1999: Portrayed a nun in Almodovar's award-winning "Todo sobre mi madre/All About My Mother"
- 1998: Reteamed with Trueba for the comedy "La Nina de tus Ojos/The Girl of Your Dreams"
- 1998: Played a bookish barmaid in the romantic comedy "Twice Upon a Yesterday/If Only/The Man with Rain in His Shoes"
- 1998: Had featured role in "Open Your Eyes/Abre los Ojos"
- 1998: Appeared as Billy Crudup's Mexican girlfriend in Stephen Frears' "The Hi-Lo Country"
- 1997: Co-starred as a pregnant prostitute in Pedro Almodovar's "Live Flesh"
- 1994: First English-language film role, as the young charge of an Irish governess in "Talk of Angels" (released in USA in 1998)
- 1993: English-language acting debut, the British TV miniseries "Framed" (aired on A&E in USA in 1993)
- 1992: Feature debut, "El Laberinto Griego/The Greek Labyrinth"
- 1992: Had featured role in Fernando Trueba's Oscar-winning "Belle Epoque"
- 1992: First leading film role, "Jamon, Jamon"
- Co-hosted the Spanish TV talk show "Quinta Marcha"




