(Cover) - EN Movies - Penlope Cruz says Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is the most special movie shes ever done as her co-stars kept her so protected while pregnant.

The Spanish actress joined the cast of the franchise for the fourth instalment, playing Angelica. She was pregnant with her first child while shooting, and says far from complicating things it made the experience even more magical.

I coped thanks to them. Rob [Marshall, director] and Johnny [Depp] and Jerry [Bruckheimer, producer] and the studio, they knew from the beginning before we started to shoot. Their reaction could not have been better, I will never forget it in my life, she told Cover Media. It was a very special time for me to me working and to feel so protected and taken care of by all of them every single step of the way made it feel like the most special movie I have done to date, because of that. To see how much they cared about me being protected means so much to me.

Penlope and her husband Javier Bardem became the proud parents of son Leo in January. The 37-year-old actress is unsure how motherhood will affect her career in the future, explaining she had already made an effort to relax more and only take movies which were really compelling before she fell pregnant.

I dont know, she replied, when asked how motherhood will affect her film choices. We change every day, big things like that will really change [things] in a big positive way.

In terms of work I dont know how that will be affected. A few years ago I changed a little bit I was a workaholic. I used to work three or four movies every year. But that changed a while ago, now I maybe do one a year, or two if they are very, very short. Its very important for me to have that equilibrium, that balance, because I was always tired before. I could never enjoy the work because I was always tired. Now I have a bit more equilibrium.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is released in the UK on May 18. (C) Cover Media