Leonardo Sbaraglia becomes Pedro Almodóvar’s on-screen alter ego

Argentine actor Leonardo Sbaraglia takes on the role of a troubled filmmaker in Amarga Navidad, Pedro Almodóvar’s latest feature competing at the Cannes Film Festival – a character the Spanish director admits is partly inspired by himself.

In the film, Sbaraglia plays Raúl Durán, a celebrated director struggling with a lack of inspiration who mines the personal problems of his friends for material to use in his screenplays.

“The first thing he told me when he offered me the role was: ‘I don’t want a flattering portrait,’” said the actor in an interview at Cannes.

Sbaraglia said Almodóvar wanted to portray himself as “a kind of vampire,” echoing an accusation made by one of the characters in the film.

For the 55-year-old actor, the story raises a broader artistic dilemma: whether it is worth exploiting the experiences of loved ones – and sometimes damaging those relationships – in order to create art capable of reaching millions.

“You’re taking something from life, from your surroundings, or from the life of someone very dear to you, and using it to inspire the hearts of millions of people,” Sbaraglia said, explaining how he views the tension at the centre of the film.

In his opinion, Almodóvar’s 24 films have clearly helped “inspire, revolutionise and give courage to marginalised groups.”

“With his cinema, he has helped the world in a very concrete way to find a voice and courage,” he added.

‘Demanding’ experience

Amarga Navidad marks Sbaraglia’s second collaboration with Almodóvar. In Dolor y gloria, the director’s semi-autobiographical 2019 drama, the Argentine actor played a former lover of the protagonist.

This time, the Relatos Salvajes star goes a step further, effectively portraying the filmmaker himself.

“It was a very demanding, intense and overwhelming experience at the same time,” Sbaraglia said.

“He’s an overwhelming man, a man of deep convictions and tremendous creative consistency,” the actor said of Almodóvar. “I always see him as a kind of [Salvador] Dalí or [Pablo] Picasso, weaving, painting, constructing colours, constructing worlds.”

“When you work with him, you feel like one piece in a giant mosaic,” he continued. “It’s fascinating to become part of his world.”

In Amarga Navidad, Sbaraglia stars alongside Bárbara Lennie, who plays one of the fictional characters in Raúl Durán’s screenplay, and Aitana Sánchez-Gijón as the director’s assistant.

During filming, Sbaraglia said “the greatest difficulty was the level of expectation,” because when Almodóvar tells an actor exactly what he wants, “your first enemy is yourself.”

The actor is currently enjoying one of the strongest years of his career. Alongside Amarga Navidad, he is also appearing at Cannes with Karma, in which he stars opposite Marion Cotillard.

The run of success could yet lead to another collaboration with the director behind Todo sobre mi madre and Volver.

Asked whether he now considers himself “an Almodóvar boy,” Sbaraglia laughed: “I don’t know – maybe after a third film.”