Interviewer
Victoria Abril, what is it like to go from being an actress that's well known to movie enthusiasts and directors, to reaching the star level?
Or being an actual star.
Victoria Abril
For me, there is no difference.
And I think that... and I don't see any difference because in any event, in a psychological way, in a somewhat intellectual way, I think that glory, metaphorically speaking, it must be like being a prostitute.
You must not chase after it, it has to chase after you.
And you always go forward a bit, you see, you let it run very shortly, like bulls after horses.
But you don't let them catch you.
Interviewer
Yes.
Victoria Abril
That's the only way to not have the problems associated with fame.
Interviewer
What kind of problems does fame bring?
Victoria Abril
Well, when you only have that, when you only see that, you know.
Interviewer
There are many actors...
Victoria Abril
It's the pot that prevents you from seeing the forest, you know?
Interviewer
There are many actors that are like that.
Victoria Abril
Maybe because they are perhaps very interested by the pots.
Me, I'm always interested in the forest.
I prefer seeing the forest and being... and also being independent and free.
Interviewer
Yes, that is...
Victoria Abril
To move about whenever I want in the forest that... in front of the pot, watching my geraniums, my fame, my popularity.
That doesn't feed a person.
It doesn't feed, you know, you can't get fatter with fame.
Interviewer
Does freedom seem very important to you?
That's a word I often hear during interviews and everywhere, freedom.
Victoria Abril
It might be claustrophobia.
I don't like being labelled.
I don't like being used, even if...
I don't like being put into an envelope, even if it's a very nice envelope, I don't like people puting laces on me or stamps.
And I don't like it when people tell me: "Oh, this is what you have to do".
I like to surprise myself, and therefore others, it makes sense.
I don't like it when people wait for me.
I always prefer to catch people off their guard.
There.
Interviewer
But with Pedro Almodovar, well, we see things the same way, it's a great relationship with a director.
Can you imagine other directors with which you'd like to work, and with whom you would like to have such a relationship?
Victoria Abril
Well, yes, I'm ready, I love it.
For me, cinema is the best way of life that I know.
I've been in films since the age of fifteen.
I've been in sixty films.
I don't know how to do anything else.
It's my way of life, but not my way to earn dough,
or to earn my pay by labouring away in the strict labouring sense, it's my way of life.
For me, every film takes two months.
It requires my head, my body, my soul, it requires everything.
They're not two months of my personal life, but they're two months of my existence.
So, it ends up adding up.
So, I don't want to work.
I can't live each film with the same intensity as High Heels or Lovers.
It can't go any lower.
That's my problem, though, and the reason why I don't have any projects right now.
But, because I don't want to go down, I don't want to go back down several levels.
Myself, I'm rather pragmatic.
I've never dreamed about Scorcese, or of the other one...
No, I put all of my dreams and all of my enthusiasm into the following ones, whose names are Machine, who is, you know, who's Spanish or is from here, who did those scripts.
And that's where I'm placing all of my illusions.
Not waiting for Godot but for Scorcese or for Alison Maclean to call me...
And I must tell you that I've been rather successful at it.
Interviewer
They've been calling?
Victoria Abril
Well, I've fulfilled my needs in a very coherent and vitally urgent way, while waiting for a better future, which I'm not really waiting for anyway.
I'm not even looking at it.
And not even the past either.
I don't spend my time looking at what I've done.
Interviewer
Do you live in the present?
Victoria Abril
I only live in the present because that's the only thing that I'm sure of.
Interviewer
In any case, this is the first time that you're participating in a Cannes festival in such a major way.
Victoria Abril
Yes, it's quite rare because, in any event, I'm not here for one of my films but for twelve films that I'm not a part of.
And it's because I decided to be the president of the scriptwriter jury.
By the way, we're going to give out the prize in a short while.
But anyway, I'm here for the cinema if you will.
I'm here because I want to be here.
I'm not here for myself.
We're going to give an award for the best script, there were six hundred scripts in this contest.
One of them is going to win two million tonight, which isn't bad at all.
Interviewer
And also an Oscar for you if a director is one day able to go much deeper, much further.
Victoria Abril
You know, I'm not complaining.
And, recently, we can't say that he hasn't been giving it his best with Pedro, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! and High Heels.
He doesn't even know how many things he's found, he doesn't even know.
Besides, I don't either.
We discovered it at the same time.
And with Vicente Aranda, with Lovers, since it was the other film from last year, I can tell you that, first of all, I played my first role as a woman, not as an object of desire, but as an active woman, not a passive one.
Not an object of desire, but someone else is in my place.
And so, you see, I feel like a young girl with new shoes.
It's good.
In fact, I love being in my thirties.
It's going to be a fabulous decade.
Pedro Almodovar
I didn't mention that it was there.
Victoria Abril
Let's go.
Pedro Almodovar
I agree.
Victoria Abril
Huh?
Pedro Almodovar
I agree.
Victoria Abril
What, what's the matter?
Pedro Almodovar
You're so pretty, you know... It suits you well.
Victoria Abril
Where?
Pedro Almodovar
I'm very happy to work with her.
Victoria Abril
We're together, the marriage is going along very beautifully.
She is so strong, so strong that she carries me away.
Pedro Almodovar
She is so great.
Interviewer
Yes.
Victoria Abril
Oh, I'm not like that...
Pedro Almodovar
OK.
Victoria Abril
Come on, what is this, get out of here!
