Angela Molina talks about Bunuel, Zeffirelli, Greece and her new film

Spanish actress appears in Jeanine Meerapfel’s ‘Anna’s Summer,’ shot on Symi

By Panayiotis Panagopoulos - Kathimerini

Judging from her rich repertoire of roles — she was Conchita in Luis Bunuel’s classic “Cet obscur objet du desir” in 1977, Clara in Pedro Almodovar’s “Carne Tremula” in 1997, and Carolina Otero in the popular television series “La Bella Otero” in 1983, to name but a few — Angela Molina is an actress who has traveled well beyond her country’s boundaries. Throughout her career, her roles have been characterized by burning passion and high levels of energy, ultimately reflecting the woman herself, the way she glows and smiles as she speaks quickly, mixing her native Spanish with English.

The meeting with Angela Molina took place during the 42th Thessaloniki International Film Festival, which she was attending for the screening of “Anna’s Summer.” Directed by Jeanine Meerapfel, the film stars Molina as a Greek-Spanish Jewish photographer who returns to her family home and is quickly surrounded by loving memories of those who are no more. Shot on the island of Symi, the cast includes a number of Greek actors, such as Dimitris Kataleifos, Themis Bazaka and Despo Diamantidou, among others, and opens today in local cinemas.

How did you start working in the cinema?

I grew up in the world of show business. My father was a flamenco singer and audiences adored him. So it was only natural for me to follow in his steps. Besides, all my siblings are either singers, actors or composers. I started in the field when I was 16, just as I was finishing school. At the same time, I was attending drama school and was completing my courses in classical flamenco. I was very lucky in that I started working at that particular time, the time of General Franco’s fall, because it was then that a wave of new Spanish cinema was developing. This wave belonged to non-conformist, young directors, all of whom today are considered the great masters.

What was your impression during the filming of “Anna’s Summer,” which took place on the island of Symi?

I discovered Greece for the first time and I fell in love with it. I felt that I already knew this place, even though I had never seen it before. I felt close to its people, I felt the help they were offering me, I felt part of it.

You have acquired tremendous experience in international co-productions, such as “Anna’s Summer.” Do you feel that these kinds of films take a different approach as compared to Spanish movies?

It was my collaboration with Bunuel which opened the door to an international career when I was 20 years old. Since then, I have often worked in international productions and I feel that it is increasingly important to make these kinds of films. The end result is richer, as each of the collaborators brings in elements of his or her own culture. The country of origin is of no importance. In the cinema, we all talk about human existence. In my opinion, the richer the mix, the more interesting the result.

You appear in several movies each year. Do you refuse some of the parts they offer you?

I turn down a lot of roles and my reasons for doing so are the same as when I accept parts. Essentially what makes me choose to work or not to work in a film is the script. I’m always attracted to an interesting story. As far as the parts are concerned, I believe that a good actor develops through the balance of all the negative and positive factors. I never look for the perfect character in a role, because such a thing simply does not exist. What I am looking for, however, are the interesting parts.

You have collaborated with Luis Bunuel, on the one hand, and Pedro Almodovar, on the other. How did these two directors influence you?

It is always a great source of happiness, a gift, to work with an established and experienced director. They know the medium and each one has developed their own means of expression. I think that Bunuel was the most generous director I ever met. I was very young when I met him and I needed him since I didn’t have a lot of experience. He trusted me entirely, right from the start. I had many questions concerning my part, yet he used to tell me not to question him as he simply trusted me. “You are an actress,” he used to say. “We will discover the truth along the way.” Bunuel was terribly precise on the job. First of all, he used to shoot each scene on video and then we would sit together with him. He would correct our acting and then proceed by explaining exactly what it was he was looking for. Once he felt we had understood what he meant, he would shoot the scene in just one take. Yet what I remember above all is how joyful he was when he was working. He was like a little baby though he was already an 82-year-old man.

With Pedro we formed a completely different relationship. We come from the same generation and he is familiar with all of my work so far. Pedro is an actor himself and therefore he likes to act. He enjoys demonstrating how each scene should be acted out. I, on the other hand, am not able to “impersonate” someone. A few days after we began filming he understood this and so we came up with a new means of communication, one which ultimately led to an even better result than what I could have ever imagined.

Recently you took part in Franco Zeffirelli’s upcoming film, “Callas Forever.” An international production featuring an exciting cast; what part do you play?

The film is based on a fictional story. It is a hypothetical scenario which could have happened in the way the film presents it. Portraying the life of a legend is no easy task. So the movie is based on a few of Callas’s final moments, aiming at demonstrating her solitude and her pain over the loss of her only child, lamenting the loss of her love as well as her voice. I play Jeremy Irons’s secretary — he is an executive in the music industry, who makes Callas a strange proposal, precisely at the moment that she feels insecure about her voice.

Spanish cinema is especially popular in Europe the last few years. Is this due to the directors’ education, their subject matter, or are there other reasons?

It is a little bit of everything. Spanish films, however, are not all that popular in Spain. Nowadays the public goes to the movies less and less and when they do, they would rather watch foreign films. To a certain extent, I find that this makes sense, as moviegoers want to see films they know have already been successful in other places.