By Thomas Chau in New York City

The always beautiful Penelope Cruz stars in the action-adventure “Sahara,” opening this weekend in theaters everywhere. Based on one of a series of books by Clive Cussler, “Sahara” follows the continuing adventures of Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey), who is out to seek a long lost Civil War battleship known as the “Ship of Death.” Needless to say, everyone finds it hard to believe that such a ship could end up in Africa, let alone the desert. But Dirk’s set in his ways and on his adventure, he runs into a doctor from the World Health Organization named Eva Rojas (Penelope Cruz), who is trying to determine the source of a plague threatening to affect an entire country. Together, they set off to end the threat in the land that’s as harsh and unforgiving as the criminals they’re fighting – the Sahara desert.

Below, Penelope talks about her first time in a big budget action film.

Q: So you have an action star on your resume now…

PENELOPE: Yes! “Action hero.”

Q: How does that sit with you?

PENELOPE: I love it. It’s the first time I’ve done it. I’ve always wanted to do a movie like this that is for the whole family, where the kids could have fun, the parents could have fun, even the grandparents. I’m happy to be part of something like that. The ones I’ve read before, I never thought the female character was interesting enough. But when I read this script, I thought the character was very smart, very funny, and I thought the woman was there for a reason. The character of the woman was strong and had a sense of humor, and smart. Sometimes, they make them so smart that they can’t have a sense of humor, so that’s a cliché. I love this character and I’m very happy they made me a part of it.

Q: So was shooting a big budget action movie overwhelming and did you ever think, “What did I get myself into?”

PENELOPE: No, I never thought that. I was always happy to be there but I was surprised that I didn’t know that in an action film, I thought actors would lie about doing all their stunts but it wasn’t a lie – we have to do most of it ourselves. I was terrified in the beginning. I had some nightmares about the camel ride because we had to do 40 km/hr next to a train. I didn’t want to say to the direct, “I don’t think I can do this,” so I trained and trained and I didn’t want to stop galloping the camel at the end of the day.

Q: Was the experience riding a camel much different from riding a horse?

PENELOPE: It’s very different. I was good with horses but when I got there and got on the camel, the first day, it was double the height and very scary. So you have to start from zero again. We trained for a couple of months before we did that scene but then I loved doing that scene. You can really tell when you watch the movie that it was us doing it.

Q: What about the challenges of shooting in a desert, such as all the sandstorms?

PENELOPE: The sandstorms were fun in the beginning because I’ve never experienced them before. But after it happened for twenty times during the day, and you have to stop shooting and it gets a little annoying, it’s difficult to act with all the sand in your eyes and ears. And it gets in between your teeth! Sometimes, we’d just incorporate it into the scene. It was actually helpful for the scene for the characters and the desperation they’re filling into those moments. But it was good when we had a good, sunny clean day because we had a LOT of sandstorms.

Q: Are you excited about doing any other films based on the Clive Cussler books?

PENELOPE: I’d love to but my character is only in some of the books.

Q: How do you think you were able to grow up so humble and not live in such a lavish lifestyle for so long?

PENELOPE: My parents were very good about that – about working hard, and having a good work ethic. I value what I have in my life, everyday, even valuing a plate of food on the table. Sometimes, we take it for granted so they always remind me to be humble and value what I have. They are like that and I always thought those were great values to remember. There are people like that around me, apart from my family, who are like that; friends who wanted me to fight for a future that they knew I could have. People gave me a lot of encouragement. I have very good mentally healthy people around me.

Q: Do they see how you live?

PENELOPE: Yes. They think the rhythm of my life is completely nuts. I think they even worry a little bit but then they see that I don’t party, I don’t drink, I don’t go out of night. Every hour I have of free time, I have a little bit of rest and a little bit of silence and quiet time.

Q: How do you turn off the fact that your face in the gossip and tabloid publications?

PENELOPE: I try not to read a lot of gossip stuff about myself or others. I always try to distant myself from that and not try to give my time or energy to gossip, or what people think. You just have to live your life the best you can and be a good person with the people around you. There’s so much to do that I don’t want to put my energy into that.

"Sahara" opens in theaters April 8th.