Rossy de Palma Refuses to Choose Just One Path
From ballet and punk music to a decades-long collaboration with Pedro Almodóvar, the Spanish icon has made her name by following her instincts.
You first met Pedro Almodóvar when you were 22 and the lead singer of the band Peor Impossible. Ever since, you’ve been his muse and often act in his films, including Law of Desire, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and Kika. Your ninth film together, Bitter Christmas, an exploration of how artists draw inspiration from real-life pain, comes out in November.
The script was so well-written, like a novel. It touched me so much because I’ve known Pedro for more than 35 years. The courage he has to get naked, in a sense, to show everything that happened to him, it’s a real sacrifice for art and an example of honesty.
You play Gabriela, a glamorous woman who throws big parties. In Almodóvar’s movies, you often take on the role of the eccentric rich auntie living a colorful life.
I have nothing to do with this character in real life. Bitter Christmas is a film that’s autofiction for Pedro, but I don’t want people thinking I’m like Gabriela. I don’t want people thinking I’m a dealer of pills—it’s not the case. I like to link people, but I’m not a party girl at all, because I had to party so much in the ’80s for work. I spent so many nights with my band playing or working in bars when I didn’t have money.
In Almodóvar’s movies, the supporting cast isn’t there just to prop up the main characters. They have their own stories and rich backgrounds.
There are no small characters—every character has a point of view, and it’s important to the story. I’m an actress, of course, but how I act is I forget myself—then the character comes. It’s something I do instinctively, not something I think about. It’s a good thing for me, because if I apply too much rationality, things become so complex. When I am a little bit out of control, a lot of miracles happen.
When you were growing up in Mallorca, did you always want to be an actor?
I was very funny, and I was very curious. My mom always wanted to do ballet, but she didn’t have the opportunity. So she put me in ballet when I was a very little girl. I did seven years of classic ballet. It was an amazing education for me and my body—I’m a dancer, always. But I knew I could not consecrate myself to one discipline. That’s my problem. I’m like a butterfly, or a bee that takes all these beautiful nectars. I have too many flowers in my garden that I like to go visit. I have too many things that I want to do.
You’ve been a muse to so many incredible artists, particularly designers, including John Galliano—whose spring 2008 collection was inspired by you—Jean Paul Gaultier, Alexander McQueen, and Azzedine Alaïa. You’ve also walked the runways for Givenchy and Jean Paul Gaultier. Who’s your muse?
I admire so many artists, most of them female artists. But for me, the muse, the big and only one, is nature. It’s a sunset or a sea. Trees. The moon. I am overwhelmed by the birds singing. Today there were two eagles that passed me overhead. I was captivated at the way they were flying.
When did you become interested in fashion?
When I was 12 years old, I was already sewing. I did some beautiful blouses and skirts and little dresses in floral fabrics. I sold the clothes at a flea market in Palma de Mallorca. At that time, there was a beautiful place close to the cathedral where, on Saturday mornings, everybody was selling things. We hung all the clothes in little trees.
What makes you an original?
I’m addicted to spontaneity. I cannot follow the rules. I have to change the rules that somebody gives me. I don’t ever do a recipe; I have to invent, always. That’s my essence, for better or for worse. In cinema, I’m even proud of the bad films, because they teach me so many things. They give me the adventure to go to another place, to meet a lot of people, to learn another language. Who cares about perfection? If the film is good, great. If it’s not good, that’s not a big deal. As actors, we are puppets—someone else cuts it.
Do you have a dream next project?
Something with dance and music. I have this gusanillo, like we say here in Spain—something that I need to do. Sometimes I say, “No, I want to do less.” But the stage is always calling.
Retouching: Split Peas.
