Pedro Almodóvar Says He Wants To Work With Anya Taylor-Joy

Pedro Almodóvar is a fervent fan and defender of the theatrical experience, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been enjoying shows on Netflix during the pandemic. In a recent interview, Almodóvar expressed his liking for “The Queen’s Gambit,” especially main actress Anya Taylor-Joy, and how much he’d like to work with her in the future.

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During an interview with Associated Press (via ABC News) to promote his short film “The Human Voice,” and the upcoming start of production for his next feature, “Madres Paralelas,” Almodóvar talked about how the pandemic affected his movie-watching habits. “The truth is that streaming has filled the void left in me of not being able to go to the movies,” the filmmaker said.

“In Madrid there are cinemas open, but the programming is very modest because the great films are hijacked by the studios. Even so, I still go at least once a week. I’m not such a fan of TV series, but the last one I’ve seen that I liked a lot is “The Queen’s Gambit” and I absolutely adore the actress, who I’ve read in an interview wants to work with me and I’m going to tell her yes. I will contact her to tell her absolutely because she has an appearance that’s very interesting to me; she can be a thousand different characters and she’s a very good actress.”

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In the meantime, Almodóvar is busy preparing for the start of production of his next feature, “Madres Paralelas,” which will reunite him with regular collaborator Penélope Cruz. “These are very imperfect mothers and as an author that’s what interested me the most, especially because I have already done several self-sacrificing and heroic mothers,” Almodóvar explained. “So this is a little bit about descendants, children, but also about ancestors, about family.”