THE ACTRESS, RECIPEINT OF A GOYA AWARD AND THE GOLD MEDAL OF MERIT IN THE FINE ARTS, STATED THAT ADDING THIS DISTINCTION TO HER CAREER CLOSES A CYCLE AND MAKES HER FEEL DEEPLY GRATEFUL.
IN A PUBLIC GATHERING, SHE REFELECTED ON A CAREER DURING WHICH SHE HAS WORKED WITH RENOWNED DIRECTORS SUCH AS GONZALO SUÁREZ, MARIO CAMUS, AND PEDRO ALMODOVAR, AMONG OTHERS.
Charo López (Photo: Adela Moreno y Ana Escario | El Estudio)
Actress Charo López, winner of a Goya Award, four Fotogramas de Plata, and the Medal from the Circle of Cinematographic Writers, among other honors, receives the Luis Buñuel Award from the 53rd Huesca International Film Festival “very happily and gratefully.” “When I got the news, the first thing that came to mind was that it was an act of poetic justice. I owed a debt for something that had happened with Don Luis regarding a film he was going to make, but fate and the French Actors’ Union prevented it from happening. I couldn’t do it. But when I was granted this award, I thought: Don Luis is now part of my life and my career. I felt a pang in my heart and enormous joy at the thought of being here to receive it,” she said.
In a cheerful and casual conversation with the audience in the central López Allué square of Huesca’s capital, the film, theater, and television actress sat down with writer and filmmaker Luis Alegre to revisit her entire career. “There has been everything in my career — bad moments, but also lots of love, dedication, and sometimes pain in this profession. But adding the name of this award, Luis Buñuel, to my career truly closes a cycle. You have no idea how thankful I am,” she expressed.
Charo López, attempting not to get emotional, recounted how she almost worked with the genius from Calanda: “I was very close friends with Father José Peña, Luis Buñuel’s advisor on religious matters, and when Buñuel was preparing The Milky Way, he wanted to meet me.” She traveled to Paris, filmed a few scenes in costume, waited, and after three days learned that the French Actors’ Union had denied her permission, deeming her not famous enough to play the role — even though Buñuel was already a legend. “I got on a plane, returned to Madrid, and have lived with the memory of that extraordinary experience until now, when I’ve received the Luis Buñuel Award. I’m thrilled, not just because it’s an award, but because it bears his name. There was a debt between us, and it has now been paid,” she emphasized.
Born in Salamanca, López reminisced with the audience about her Philosophy and Literature studies, her early days with the University Spanish Theater group, and her time working as a teacher. It was then that she met filmmaker Gonzalo Suárez, who offered her a role in Ditirambo (1967), changing the course of her life. She would go on to work with him on seven more films. “I’ve worked a lot with him, I love him deeply, and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again,” she said. She also recalled her roles in Spaghetti Westerns, where she often played the “raped Indian woman,” as she put it. “But I had a great time and learned to ride horses — and now I’m even getting an award in Almería!”
She also spoke about her role as ‘Mauricia la dura’ in the miniseries Fortunata y Jacinta, directed by Mario Camus. “I was passionate about that director. But also — and I say this as someone who has no sense of reality and plenty of vanity — I thought I’d be playing Fortunata,” she admitted, though she acknowledged that the role of Mauricia was extraordinary: “It placed me solidly in the profession.”
She recalled that at the time, Mario Camus himself told her, “Stop playing pretty women, play strong ones.” That advice became a turning point in her career, eventually leading her to portray Clara Aldán in Los gozos y las sombras. “Clara Aldán has been my companion for nearly 50 years. I still go out in public and people recognize me by that name. The impact was huge, and not just in Spain,” she said.
Regarding Secrets of the Heart by Montxo Armendáriz — the role that earned her the Goya for Best Supporting Actress and brought the film an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 70th Academy Awards — she highlighted: “In this profession, one of the hardest things to deal with is being an older woman. But Montxo wanted me to play a tired, older woman who also had to sing. I sang out of tune — and that’s exactly what he wanted. That role earned me the Goya. I knew it was mine, and I shared it with the other nominated actresses.”
When Luis Alegre mentioned that she might be the woman most often called “beautiful” in Spain, she replied without hesitation: “I’m sure that’s true. Since the day I was born, I’ve heard that word. It’s a kind of distortion I have. I was born this way, I want to live this way, and even die this way — with someone calling me beautiful as I go.” However, she also pointed out that beautiful women are often not given roles in comedies, “which is outrageous. Before I go, I want to do one last comedy — telling the story of reaching the end.” She also hinted at a lingering personal goal: writing. “It’s something I’m considering at this point in my life. Writing something very personal makes me feel shy, but maybe one day I’ll feel inspired and do it.”
