Actress Verónica Echegui dies at 42
She starred in Bigas Luna's 'Yo soy la Juani' and won two Gaudí Awards, one for 'Katmandú' and one for 'La ofrenda'.
BarcelonaActress Verónica Echegui (Madrid, 1983-2025) died this Sunday at the age of 42 from cancer. Echegui rose to fame with the film I am Juani (2006), by Bigas Luna, for which she received a Goya Award nomination for Best New Actress. She had recently been admitted to the 12 de Octubre Hospital in Madrid. Her last appearance on screen was in the series To death, by Dani de la Orden, filmed in August 2023.
Echegui made his television debut with small roles in the series A new life and Paco and Veva (2004), from Spanish Television, but it was the interpretive work in I am Juani which marked a turning point in her professional career. The story of Juani, a stubborn and strong-willed girl from the suburbs who decides to escape from a dysfunctional environment and make a living as an actress, was a critical success and catapulted her to the forefront of Spanish cinema. The following year she starred in Touch the sky (2007), directed by the Argentine Marcos Carnevale, and, together with Carmen Maura, The lesser of two evils (2007), by Antonio Hernández.
Echegui excelled in his ability to create characters with torrential power, both in dramatic projects and in comic relief. One of his most memorable performances was in the film My prisoner's yard (2008), directed by Belén Macías and produced by Pedro Almodóvar. The actress played a bitter and generous thief who shared her daily life with other inmates and which earned her another Goya nomination, this time for Best Leading Actress. Kathmandu (2012), directed by Icíar Bollaín, received its third Goya nomination – which it did not win – and Gaudí Award for Best Leading ActressIn the film, Echegui played a Catalan woman who goes to Nepal to become a teacher, a character inspired by the pedagogue Vicky Subirana. The shoot was very demanding—the actress was sick for much of the filming—but at the same time enriching. "I've learned that my strength is the ability to react positively to difficult situations. And my weakness is that I can't do something the same way twenty times. And also that the most important thing in this life is love. And even more so in art. Without love, why the hell make a film?" the actress explained in an interview in the ARA.
The link with Catalan cinema
Echegui made a foray into Hollywood in 2013 with the film The cold light of day, directed by Mabrouk El Mechri and accompanied by performers such as Sigourney Weaver and Bruce Willis, and in 2016 she worked with the Mexican Gael García Bernal in You're killing me, SusanaWith projects like these, he made a career outside of Spain, but without losing contact with the industry and, in particular, with Catalan cinema. That same year, he headed the audiovisual version of best-seller Don't blame karma for what happens to you because you're an idiot., directed by Maria Ripoll –with whom he would work again in 2024 in I am not that one– and starring David Verdaguer and Jordi Sánchez. Shortly after, the film version of the novel was released. The Mist and the Maiden, by Lorenzo Silva, with Quim Gutiérrez and Aura Garrido.
In recent years, Echegui co-starred in the film The offering (2020), by Ventura Durall, with Àlex Brendemühl and Anna Alarcón, with which he achieved his second Gaudí Award. The fourth Goya nomination came that same year for his performance in the musical comedy Explode, explode, but the Spanish Film Academy didn't award her that award either. In fact, the only Goya she was awarded was in 2022 for her work as director on the short film Wolf Totem.
On television he also participated in the Basque series Privacy (2022), in which he shared the cast with actresses Itziar Ituño, Patricia López Arnaiz, Ana Wagener and Emma Suárez, and in an episode of Barcelona appointments. In addition, he played a prominent role in the series Fortitude, an international Amazon production set in the Arctic Circle. In the series City of Shadows, filmed in Barcelona and pending release, Echegui plays a police inspector; the cast also includes Ágata Roca, Ana Wagener, and Manolo Solo.
Circumstances have meant that Echegui's last interviews were to promote the series. To death by Dani de la Orden, which specifically focuses on a young man suffering from cancer. "The series asks many questions about death and life, because it's impossible to talk about death without talking about life and how you live it," said the actress. in an interview in the ARA in which he reflected on sincerity between those closest to you: "I think the people who love you are the only ones who have the courage to say to you: 'Have you considered whether this is right? Are you happy like this or not?'"
