"A creator has the right to be inspired by whomever they want, but with emotional responsibility."

BarcelonaWorking with Pedro Almodóvar for the first time is always a milestone for any actor, a turning point that can define a career. Some experience it as a trial by fire, perhaps recalling Jorge Sanz's ordeal, who was fired from Tremulous flesh (1997) after a week of filming because he didn't get along with the man from La Mancha, who replaced him with Liberto Rabal. Victoria LuengoThe first contact with the director was in The room next doorIt was a good experience, she explains, but only two days of filming and a very small role. "You feel a mixture of nerves, excitement, fear, and responsibility... But in such a short time it's difficult, because you don't yet know the crew or the tone of the film, and besides, it was a role in English."

A Bitter ChristmasIn the film, which premiered this weekend, the actress reunites with Almodóvar, but with a more substantial role: a woman in marital crisis, humiliated and filled with rage, who flees to Lanzarote with her son and her best friend, the cult director played by Bárbara Lennie. "It's as if I filmed with a different director," Luengo says. "This time I was able to delve deeper into Pedro's style and understand his language a bit more. Therefore, I enjoyed portraying what he asks for more, which are very precise things, because I was more open and available." And she concludes: "Relaxation is the mother of acting."

The one who is making her debut with Almodóvar in Bitter Christmas is Quim GutiérrezShe has a supporting role: the younger partner of the famous director played by Leonardo Sbaraglia. alter ego Almodóvar-esque in the vein of Antonio Banderas Pain and Glory“On the one hand, you always want a more prominent and complex character, but on the other, when it’s your first time working with a director, it’s better to have a more comfortable role where you’re not left too exposed,” jokes Gutiérrez, who has embraced the experience as an opportunity to learn and observe Almodóvar in action. The actor and director had already met at dinners, but filming the movie has allowed him to see a different side of Almodóvar. “I’ve gone from sitting with a legend to enjoying the person’s sense of humor and lucidity,” says Gutiérrez. “His explanations of the characters are brilliant; he’s very cultured and shares a lot of information, both about literature and autofiction, as well as about his wounds and traumas, which enrich the film.”

A humiliated character with no self-esteem.

The character ofBitter Christmas It gives Luengo the opportunity to explore new registers. "I'm used to being given characters with very high self-esteem and confidence, who find it very difficult to show vulnerability, but here Pedro asked me to play a woman with low blood pressure, broken inside, without willpower or self-esteem," explains the actress, to whom the director from La Mancha often repeated, "You're drained, vampirized." To convey these emotions, Luengo suggested to Almodóvar that the character always be "very constructed," so that, despite being at home, she would always be well-dressed and made up "to maintain a dignity that is just a shell, because anyone who feels that shame and anger wants to hide it."

One of the most emotional scenes in the film is when Luengo's character and Lennie's character listen to a recording of Chavela Vargas singing with barely any voice. The Weeping Woman And the two friends begin to cry. "Pedro asked us not to listen to him too much at home, so that he would reach us that day from a new place," she recalls. "Bárbara and I looked at each other, held hands, and said, 'Come on, let's see what happens.' It was beautiful, because she had to connect with her mother's grief from within her own mother, and from within her own mother, and from within her own mother, and from within her own mother, and connect with the purest rage." The result, she says, was "magical," and the film crew ended up applauding the scene. "The beautiful thing about cinema is that sometimes things happen that you don't expect, and if you can capture them on camera, they remain forever," she reflects.

The emotional impact of this scene lends weight to the conflict that later unfolds between the two characters when the director, who plays Lennie, begins writing a screenplay inspired by her friend's relationship problems. "When you feel lost, it can be very painful to have a friend tell you truths you're not ready to hear," Luengo points out. "The breakdown of a friendship is something that's rarely discussed. In film and literature, we've explored romantic breakups extensively, but for me, friendships aren't inferior to romantic relationships."

The dangers of autofiction

The clash between Lennie and Luengo shapes the central conflict of a film that addresses the pain artists can inflict on loved ones when they draw inspiration from real life for their work. It's a theme that resonates throughout a filmography as autobiographical as that of the filmmaker from La Mancha, and one that connects Bitter Christmas directly with Pain and Glory and Bad mannersQuim Gutiérrez, however, has chosen not to draw inspiration from Almodóvar's personal universe to interpret his character, who seems inspired by the relationship that the director from La Mancha has had for more than twenty years with the photographer Fernando Iglesias Mas, who, in fact, takes the still photographs ofBitter Christmas“I drew a red line from the beginning and never once asked Almodóvar about his personal life,” the actor says. “And he didn’t say anything specific beyond generalities either. Given that it was autofiction and alter egos"It's up to the director to decide how far they want to reveal each person's role; that's their right, and I think they should be respectful."

Luengo acknowledges that she has sometimes drawn inspiration from others for some of her acting roles, but with the advantage that her process is more internal and doesn't expose anyone. "I've looked to others to get where I am," she affirms. "I believe any creator has the right to be inspired by whomever they want, but with emotional responsibility towards the people who surround you and love you, without causing harm and with respect. Ultimately, it's a matter of intuition: you know if you're causing harm or not when you're inspired by someone. And you have to set your own limits, with respect and responsibility towards others."