“Someone asked me, ‘Is she a muse for you?,’ ” said Mr. Almodóvar, whose long-term collaborations with actresses, beginning with Carmen Maura through the 1980s, have been famously fruitful and sometimes just as famously volatile. “Well, yes. She is a muse for me in the sense that a muse is someone who makes you better than you are. I think I am a better director with her, because she believes that I am better than I am, and that blind faith gives me a lot of strength.”
“No, no,” replied Ms. Cruz, shaking her head and smiling calmly. “I know exactly how good you are.”
From Mark Harris’ great interview with the creatively fertile pair.
11 Responses for "Mark Harris Talks to Pretty Penny and Almodovar"
Cruz is beyond gorgeous. Here’s hoping her and Pedro continue to make more films together.
you know, while looking at the best actress contenders, i really think she has a chance at lead actress for broken embraces.
the movie really stays with you, and her performance is quite good…she clearly would be the “5th place” nominee but i still think her work is strong enough and the category is weak enough. i definitely think she’s much better than abbie cornish (who is good but i really don’t think oscar worthy)
her biggest competition will be marion cotillard if she ends up going lead for nine.
p.s. i saw an education…i still think meryl has the edge but carey mulligan really was worthy of all the hype.
Penelope is soooooo gorgeous. somehow she has charisma …and this is not sexual for me at all (hellooo!!!!)…just her presence and light….gorgeous woman..
Jason, you are right. Carey is very good and carries the movie but i think i was expecting much more from her after all that buzz (that expectation disconfirmation could be a problem for her!). And everyone that saw Broken Embraces praised Penelope’s performance. Also being in Nine (seems another powerful performance) could give her an edge over some others (on the other hand having a brand new Oscar may hurt her chance!)
Wait, are they supposed to look about 10 years older in that pic?
Almodovar solidified my respect for him when he said the following, regarding movies he will never make:
“No biopics,” he said firmly. “No biopics, no prequels, no sequels, no hero movies, no antihero movies, and definitely no superhero movies. Anything else I can handle.”
I remember Matador as a superhero movie. A prequel to Javier’s more astonishing exhibition of superpowers in Jamon Jamon.
“Wait, are they supposed to look about 10 years older in that pic?”
No, they just happen NOT to be botoxed.
How strange, isn´t it?!
Ryan, are you talking about Javier Bardem?? I don’t remember him in Matador. Antonio Banderas appeared.
You’re right. You know more about what I’m thinking than I do, Alfredo.
Penelope is the luckiest woman in Hollywood. She poses for the camera and wins accolades. Girl, I hope you are thanking your lucky stars.
“No, they just happen NOT to be botoxed.
How strange, isn´t it?!”
Okay, that’s all well and fine, but it doesn’t change the fact both of them look 10 years older than I’ve ever seen them before. Bad photograph? Makeup? Cruz didn’t look like that just a year ago.
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