Penelope Cruz Covers Esquire Magazine; Named ‘Sexiest Woman Alive’

Penelope Cruz, the "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" actress, has been named the "Sexiest Woman Alive" of 2014 by Esquire Magazine and to live up to the title, Cruz strikes a seductive yet elegant pose on the cover of the magazine.

Cruz is seen rocking a plunging body suit, her tresses loose down her shoulders as she gives the camera a sultry look.

But that is just for the cover. Cruz is seen in several beautiful poses inside in a series of photos. In one she is seen sporting a leopard print red swimsuit with a black jacket. In another she is wearing a polka-dotted transparent yellow dress.

But along with the pictures, Cruz manages to give us a little peek into her mysterious self.

Speaking of how she has fooled herself many a times, Cruz said:

"I've played a lot of tricks on myself," she told Esquire.

"I've made it hard for me sometimes, especially in my teens and 20s. I had an attraction to drama. Most of us have that, especially if you are an artist -- you feel like you are tempted to explore the darkness," she added.

Cruz also confessed to lying about her age to get into theaters to watch movies by her mentor, director Pedro Almodóvar. However, she added that she is no longer attracted to drama now.

"I could not be less interested now. For me, the most attractive, charming, cool, fun, interesting thing -- how could I call it? A plan."

In fact, Cruz is too modest to even acknowledge how beautiful she is. She said she was honored to have received the title and now she doesn't feel like anything but a mother who doesn't get enough sleep.

Read the full interview here.