Naturalness and freshness stand out at first glance in Claudia Malagelada (Sant Feliu de Llobregat, 2007) both on stage and when chatting with her about her film, Creatura, which has put her in the public spotlight. A special role that has brought her much more than an award and the praise that she is still absorbing. The film, by director Elena Martín, delves into issues such as female desire, the education that she unconsciously represses since childhood, and the trauma that it can cause years later. Malagelada reflects on how this experience has enriched her when living her adolescence and how necessary she sees addressing these issues.
Also nominated for the Goya, the young woman won the Gaudí award for best new actress a month ago, an award that, for the second time, is promoted by La Roca Village, together with the Catalan Cinema Academy, to support new values ??in the world of cinema. interpretation. For Claudia, who studies Baccalaureate and Classical Dance, this first role has whetted her appetite in search of new projects.
How have you had the experience of debuting with an award?
I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve barely slept. Living so many emotions in just a few days…I’m still digesting it.
The award, the nomination, sharing galas with celebrities…
It’s very strong, from the outside I thought wow! But when you’re there you see them as normal people… I was sitting very close to Almodóvar and Penelope Cruz and I thought: At what moment can I be in the same room as these people? so amazing? Maybe it’s a sensation and it didn’t happen, but I saw Penelope smile at me. We exchanged a look and a smile, perhaps she was directing it to someone sitting behind me (laughs).
Are you sure you want to dedicate yourself to acting?
Now I have it very clear. You need to have a job. Let’s see, I study first the Performing Arts Baccalaureate and in the afternoon Classical Dance at the Intitut del Teatre. I have been preparing for a long time to be in dance companies, but now acting motivates me more, although I still have a lot to learn.
How did you come about casting for the film?
It was in 2021, I was 14 years old. I wasn’t even aware that it was for a movie, but I just thought I’d go, as an experience. I sent my photo to prove it, to say that I have done a casting in my life. It’s very strong, really.
Decided, without a doubt…
I think so, impulsive. If I feel like doing something I do it. I felt that I should do it, by intuition, without thinking beyond it.
Did the Creatura theme make you wonder? out of modesty?
It’s very strange, because I was aware of the topic and its importance when the movie was practically shot. When choosing me we had a meeting with the casting director, the director Elena Martín and my mother. They wanted to make sure my mother was okay with it. As Elena proposed the project, we had no doubts. We also had an intimacy coordinator. But I was not aware of the impact of the film. I only thought one thing: What will they think when my grandmothers see it?
And what did they say?
Luckily they were super proud of me, like my grandfather. They were the only opinions that made me nervous.
Have you been surprised by any reaction?
One of the grandmothers, as a result of this, explained to me some facts about her relationship with her husband, my grandfather. I found it very curious that she felt in a safe space with me, confident to talk about certain topics. He seemed very pretty to me.
Do you think that prejudices are still maintained when educating, in situations like the one in the film, a girl who shows her desire from innocence?
I think it is an unconscious repression, the film reflects it. In it, the family is not repressing the girl, they are trying to do their best, but society has established this repression and no one has considered it.
What is the message for you?
That idea that an adult sexualizes what a child does who has no idea about sexuality because no one has taught him yet. It is a very powerful message, how this unconscious repression is fed from childhood. The interesting thing is that as a result of the film, the generations whose responsibility it is to educate reflect and that in the face of the child’s innocent desire the idea of ??taboo is not transmitted to him. If you don’t talk about an issue, you can’t change it. Around me I have noticed it a lot, we can talk about everything quite freely and repression is not in my life. The important thing is that it does not remain a fad but is applied forever.
How has this experience made you grow?
It has given me knowledge when it comes to developing my sexuality, and that has enriched me greatly. It has given me another point of awareness that many people my age do not have. I got the role when I was 14, when people talk about it more, with those around you. I think it is important to see the film at that age, that it can serve them just as it has served me, to talk about what I need with the people I consider. Of desire, of consent.
Are these topics covered in school?
I have had some conversations, but the first time I heard about consent was with the privacy coordinators of the film. And it seems like something basic to me, that we don’t take into account very much, and it’s where any physical relationship begins, from a simple hug. We are not used to asking, asking, and all this would have to be raised. It is taken for granted that when we meet someone we have to give them two kisses and men only shake hands. As a child I hated goodbyes or introductions. It bothered me a lot having to kiss someone who I didn’t know at all.