My dear ladyby Jaime de Armiñán, was a blast. Because of the time (1972), because of the subject (intersexuality), because of the quality of the film (nominated for the Oscar for best foreign film). And José Luis López Vázquez, the beloved Miss Adela, played one of the roles of her life. Now Fernando G. Molina directs, with a script by Alana S. Portero, author of one of the great books of 2023, The bad habitand remake (update, rather?) with the production of Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi behind. In the cast is Lola Rodríguez (Santa Brígida, Las Palmas, 27 years old) who plays a young mother who lives in an LGTBI shared apartment in Madrid in the early 2000s.
Ask. Did you feel comfortable in the role?
Answer. He’s a very fun character, lighter than what he used to do. Without so much drama, more comical. It was very cool to play a young mother in the early 2000s in Madrid, in an LGTBI apartment, with open people, where they talk about sex, where they talk about freedom.
P. Is it anything like your life?
R. I am a mother, but of a cat. Yes, I felt very comfortable. I connect a lot with the character because of the most vital part, the part of not judging, of always having a shoulder for your friend. I value that. I also liked to embody motherhood, that freshness and that kind of double life, of caring and at the same time having a little madness around.
P. When he looks back at the success that came to him at such a young age Poisonthe recognition on the street, the extra pressure…, what part of yourself do you recognize and what part is foreign to you?
R. The love for the profession remains. But it’s true that I was very afraid there: that everything would be volatile, that my career would end there, that it would just be luck. Now I see it as the result of an effort. In fact, the fewer projects I have had is the more of an actress I have felt. All those fears have dissipated as I faced the void.
P. He always acted.
R. When I was four years old I brought my family together to do performances. I have always had the need to express myself, to have a little attention when I was little. I started with ballet at a very young age and at nine years old I discovered theater in a very small room in my town. There I fell in love. Since then I haven’t stopped. It was thanks to Poison when I saw that I could dedicate myself to this. Before I thought there was no space.
P. What was your first role?
R. Cinderella’s stepsister. Her name was Cordelia and she had a monologue about beauty. I took it very seriously. My family has always supported me: they applauded me in the kitchen and in the theater.
P. You are trans. He began the process at 13 years old. She has had roles and given many interviews about trans rights. Does it bother you more that an activist speech is always expected of you or that it is assumed that you no longer need to give it?
R. That he has to repeat the same speech all the time. The headlines are always about being trans. I am proud of who I am, but being trans is not the only thing that defines a person. I want to be an actress before being trans. I am not a political activist who has to champion all the time. I’m also 27 years old, I fall in love, I move…, there are many things that are part of my life.
P. Do you feel that the industry offers you more complex roles?
R. No, the truth. I have had few castings these years. This last film is not about a trans character. But I haven’t been offered many roles outside of that yet. Still, I am proud of my work. I think there are still barriers to break, but I’m in no rush.
P. Poison It gave her a lot of visibility, but it could also pigeonhole her.
R. Maybe, but everything is welcome. I don’t feel like it’s just me, but something about the industry, which is more schematic when it comes to imagining characters.
P. Has visibility given you freedom or pressure?
R. A lot of freedom. I don’t have to feel ashamed anymore. Before it seemed like the right thing to do was to keep quiet. Now I feel that my story can be the protagonist, and that is beautiful.
P. The criticisms.
R. I have received all kinds of them, also disqualifying and personal, but I have been accustomed since I was little to bullying. At school, at the institute, everywhere. I grew up with a lot of negative messages, and unlike then, now I have tools to not let it affect me. There is nothing new you can tell me.
P. Vio Bitter ChristmasI understand.
R. Almodóvar was the one who made me want to be an actress. All about my mother, Return…they are movies that when I saw them as a child drove me crazy.
P. The importance of telling stories.
R. Empathy is what is best for us as a society. I saw him a lot with Poison: Suddenly there were very different people, even in conservative environments, who connected with the story. That’s what I love about my profession: through stories you can connect with other people’s humanity. I also believe that stories can be told in many ways, they don’t always have to be “pretty.” But there is something very powerful about generating connection.
P. The Javis.
R. I don’t know if I can tell it. But I have already seen The black ball. It’s the best thing I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s sublime. It is them, it is their pure essence in everything they do.
