Daisy Ridley credits Penelope Cruz for her relationship with Tom Bateman.

The 32-year-old actress struck up an instant friendship with her now-husband when they worked together on 2017's 'Murder on the Orient Express' but a remark from their co-star made her look at the 35-year-old actor differently.

Asked on 'The Drew Barrymore Show' if sparks had flown immediately between her and Tom, she said: "We are an acting cliché.

"We got on immediately and we were like best, best, best friends.

"But I didn't look at him that way until someone quite fabulous in our film said something that made me look at [him differently] — Penélope Cruz. And I was like, 'Huh,' and yeah."

Drew asked: "And did she say it the way Penélope Cruz would?"

Daisy replied: "I mean, imagine. Penelope says anything and you're like 'Yes,' and that was it.

"We've been together ever since, yeah."

The couple have recently worked together on 'Magpie' with Daisy coming up with the idea for the film and her husband writing the screenplay, with both also serving as producers and the 'Star Wars' actress playing Annette.

And Tom previously admitted he loved writing for his wife.

He told CBR: "Being able to write what I know her strengths are was so rewarding.

“I could be really daring and bold and write a whole scene with no dialogue and just her character’s thoughts."

The film sees Annette's marriage hit the rocks when her daughter is cast in a movie and her husband Ben (Shazad Latif) grows infatuated with her on-screen mother.

And Daisy and Tom can see the irony in them having worked on a movie about infidelity.

She told People magazine: "It’s funny because people tell me and Tom that we’re the happiest married people they know."