Antonio Banderas' Advice for Other Actors Working With Pedro Almodóvar

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Antonio Banderas' Advice for Other Actors Working With Pedro Almodóvar: "Just Go With It"

By Perri Nemiroff

Published Feb 29, 2020

He also discusses the tension while shooting 'The Skin I Live In' and going into 'Pain and Glory' with a completely different attitude.

Looking for some wonderful stories about the actor-director relationship? You've come to the right place because during Season 2 of Collider For Your Consideration, we got to host a screening of Pain and Glory with a post-screening Q&A with Antonio Banderas who spoke at length about working with Pedro Almodóvar.

The duo enjoyed great success this awards season with the film, securing a Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role nomination for Banderas and a Best International Feature Film nod, in addition to a whole bunch of big wins at the Goya Awards. Banderas leads the film as Salvador Mallo, a director struggling with multiple ailments including an inability to forge forward with his career. Pain and Glory marks the eighth Almodóvar film Banderas has worked on and over the years, the two have been on quite the journey together.

antonio-banderas-pain-and-glory — Image via Cannes Film Festival

Check out the full Q&A with Banderas at the top of this article to hear more about the tension while shooting The Skin I Live In, going into Pain and Glory with a completely different attitude, the very personal nature of the story, why this is the most subtle work Banderas has ever done, what it was like finding out he scored an Academy Award nomination for his performance and loads more!

Pain and Glory is now available for purchase on Amazon Prime, Vudu, YouTube and Google Play.

Antonio Banderas:

00:05 - What happens when Almodóvar comes to Banderas with yet another project? Is there ever any hesitation?
03:30 - Banderas details his on-set collaboration with Almodóvar.
06:22 - Has Banderas ever been in an artistic rut himself; how having a heart attack affected him.
08:25 - What advice would Banderas give to another actor who's going to work with Almodóvar for the first time?
09:40 - Banderas on the physicality of the role.
12:40 - On being an active listener in much of the movie; what's more difficult - being a listener in a scene or having a ton of dialogue?
14:20 - What scene required the most workshopping on set?
18:40 - What was it like finding out that he scored an Oscar nomination; who did he want to meet on Oscar night?