In 1992, singer-songwriter Joaquín Sabina celebrated Pedro Almodóvar in song, expressing the desire to be an 'Almodóvar girl' like Maura or Victoria Abril. Even then, Almodóvar was recognized as a master of passionate cinematic romances often driven by bold, defiant women.
Over a span of 45 years, many actresses have shared that aspiration to join his vividly intense universe, where despair and joy, sexuality and violence, tenderness and fierce hatred often coexist within the same frame. Julianne Moore described being part of that creative circle as 'a club I love to be in.'
Film at Lincoln Center is set to honor Almodóvar’s legacy with its highest accolade, the Chaplin Award, at a gala scheduled for Monday, featuring guests such as Dua Lipa, John Waters, and Mikhail Baryshnikov.
Penélope Cruz, one of Almodóvar’s most devoted collaborators, noted, 'Although he reinvents himself constantly and no two films are alike, you can recognize a Pedro Almodóvar movie from a single frame.' She emphasized that his films pay tribute to women in all their complexity.
Both Cruz and Moore were among nine actresses who shared their experiences working with the director, portraying him as a meticulous and unique creative partner. Here are their reflections:
Julianne Moore recounted her first visit to Almodóvar’s apartment for rehearsals of The Room Next Door, where she was struck by the presence of objects and details familiar from his films. She described this as 'physical storytelling,' where human drama is embodied in striking costumes and sets.
Initially, Moore assumed what she saw on screen reflected Spain itself. 'Speaking from ignorance,' she said, 'I thought, “This is what Spain must be like, and that’s what it’s expressing.”' But working closely with Almodóvar, she realized it was deeply personal to him — a unique way of seeing the world expressed through elevated stories, vivid colors, composition, energy, and beauty. She recalled the moment she saw herself in a red turtleneck sweater alongside Swinton in bright green, thinking, 'My God, we’ve just stepped into an Almodóvar film. We are in it.'
Tilda Swinton described her initial experience collaborating on the short film The Human Voice as an adjustment, given Almodóvar’s precise intentions. 'He wants you to hit marks on the floor but also wants charm,' she explained. 'The challenge is to achieve his vision while still surprising him.'
Swinton recalled a moment when Almodóvar, whom she called a 'romantic filmmaker,' instructed her to stand dramatically. She hesitated, then realized, 'I’m going to stand because that’s what I’m meant to do. No doubt.' He literally directs your emotions, not leaving interpretation open but defining the character’s emotional state, a style quite distinct from Swinton’s own reserved nature.
Veteran actress Julieta Serrano, who won Spain’s Goya Award for her role inspired by Almodóvar’s mother in the semi-autobiographical Pain and Glory, appreciated the freedom the director allowed in portraying real-life figures. 'That liberates me,' she said. 'Playing real characters can be challenging, but Pedro lets you find truth without worrying about exact resemblance.'
Serrano, who also portrayed the betrayed and armed wife in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), values Almodóvar’s skill in blending pathos and comedy. 'He has a brilliant imagination and humor that probes the human condition,' she explained. 'Through laughter, he reveals the good, the bad, and the ridiculous in all of us.'
Elena Anaya, who took on a complex role in The Skin I Live In, observed that directors who write their own scripts often feel deeply connected when seeing actors embody their characters. For Almodóvar, this connection is particularly strong. 'Pedro talks about his characters as if they are people he’s lived with for years—people he knows intimately, loves, and defends regardless of their roles in his stories,' she said. To guide actors toward his vision, he provides precise notes during rehearsals, setting exact emotional targets. 'Everything you receive from Pedro is pure nourishment as an artist,' Anaya added.
Although Cruz had minor roles in Almodóvar’s late-1990s films Live Flesh and All About My Mother, it was her lead role in Volver—portraying a woman reconnecting unexpectedly with her estranged mother—that cemented their creative and personal bond. 'Every afternoon before filming, he and I would walk through nearby villages as he shared stories of his childhood in La Mancha,' she recalled. 'That film brought us very close.'
Despite their deep trust, Cruz admitted there remains a 'healthy fear' in their working relationship. 'I never arrive on set thinking, “I’m working with my friend, so I’m more confident,”' she explained. 'He sets the bar very high, and that motivates me immensely. It’s an addictive feeling.'
Cruz added that by now, their communication is almost telepathic. 'When he arrives on set, I can tell if he’s slept well, if he’s in a good mood, worried, or happy,' she said. 'I believe he feels the same about me. I can’t fool him—neither on set nor in life.'
To prepare for her role as a woman in a coma in Talk to Her, Leonor Watling practiced yoga and classical ballet for months before filming. 'He told me, “I’m offering you a very unusual role, and I want you to read it carefully because I don’t want you to be dead. I want you to be a very alive presence while completely still,”' she recalled.
Watling remembered Almodóvar directing her character’s internal monologue while she lay motionless with closed eyes. 'He said, “Now you’re thinking you’re walking through a field full of leaves and the leaves rustle,”' she said. 'He didn’t want me just lying there.' Though she now laughs about it, the actress admitted it was a challenge for her ego to accept such a subdued first role with the director. 'He has always shown me great affection and appreciation for what I did in Talk to Her,' she said. 'He understands how much effort it took.'
After filming the Oscar-winning All About My Mother, where she portrayed a woman whose son dies tragically, Cecilia Roth asked Almodóvar if her performance would have differed had she been a mother before shooting. 'He literally replied, “Even a German truck driver is a mother,”' she recalled. 'For him, it doesn’t matter whether you have children or not. All of us who had a mother carry within us the feeling of motherhood.'
Roth added that Almodóvar understands his actors’ emotions deeply and strives to bring them forth through their characters. 'Pedro knows you better than you know yourself, I tell you,' she said. She fondly recalled sitting beside him at the 2000 Oscars gala and rushing to the restroom just before the Best Foreign Language Film award was announced. Laughing, she remembered the director anxiously saying, 'This always happens to you!' But she made it back in time to hear Penélope Cruz present the Oscar for her film. 'Like everything with Pedro, that night was a complete adventure,' Roth reflected.
Rossy de Palma, known for her unforgettable character roles, has appeared in eight Almodóvar films. For The Flower of My Secret, she said the director drew heavily on the women in his own family to craft the hilariously combative mother-daughter scenes she performed alongside Chus Lampreave.
'Many of Chus’s lines were typical phrases from Pedro’s mother,' de Palma said, describing the matriarch as the 'supreme screenwriter' given her profound influence on her son’s work.
De Palma expressed her admiration for Almodóvar’s heroines who are free from guilt. 'There’s no karmic idea that you deserve what happened to you,' she said. 'No matter how traumatic the events, you have the capacity to rise like a phoenix from the ashes and say, “Well, what do we do with what’s left?” His films, like life itself, may include tragicomedy but reject victimhood.'
In Almodóvar’s films, Marisa Paredes is often remembered for her poignant lip-sync performance of the bolero “Piensa en mí” in High Heels. Paredes recalled how the director adapted the role of the sentimental ballad singer Becky del Páramo to incorporate personal details, including setting a scene in a theater where the actress frequently performed.
Paredes and Almodóvar forged a consummate partnership that enhanced the melodrama of his films. In one of her last interviews weeks before her passing, Paredes spoke passionately about their work together. 'To work with Pedro, you have to dive into the pool with him without a life jacket. You have to give everything and more,' she said. 'He demands a lot, and for an actress like me, whose craft is rooted in the character’s contradictions, a director like Pedro suits me well, and an actress like me suits him well.'
One of Almodóvar’s greatest talents, according to Paredes, is his intuition and flexibility to embrace unexpected ideas on set. She chuckled, 'If he sees something enriches the situation, he’ll accept it, because he’s anything but foolish—in fact, quite the opposite.'
