Susan Alrandon: "The cinema has been left behind in showing strong women"

The actress returns to 70 at Sitges Festival, where she receives an honorary award and chairs a special pass from ' Rocky Horror Picture Show '-that delirious and surreal musical that public celebrates with water pistols, confetti and rice-with which he began his career .

It's not a typical horror muse or a scream queen. It's Susan Saranon. A movie icon, like Bette Davis playing in Feud series. And he appeared yesterday in Sitge s as great star of international Festival of Fantastic film and horror, where today he will receive Grand Prix honor. "Calm, in United States is not end of world as it seems with government of Trump." Many people struggle to rebuild what y are destroying, he said almost as an ambassador to or America, Democrat, progressive, activists '. He even asked for "apologies" for Trump and image of United States.

At its 71 years and with cleavages that continue to give what to talk about in Cannes, al Rand on is claimed as a "character actress". The last has been a challenge, even for her: Anor actress of old Hollywood, untamed Bette Davis, in war against anor queen of cinema, Joan Crawford (interpreted by Jessica Lange in series). Quite a duel. The tense rivalry between two actresses during filming of what happened to Baby Jane? It is engine of Feud: Bette & Joan, one of productions of HBO. For years I had been asked to play role of Bette Davis, even when I was very young. But re was no script or project. Until producer Ryan Murphy offered me this paper. The me of two women always fighting seemed like a joke to me. But interesting thing is idea that in background y could have been friends, deepening in lives of se two women and show how times have changed in Hollywood, "said al Randon.

But how to be Bette Davis? I was terrified ... She is an icon, her gestures have become clichés, her dry way of acting ... I was worried about how to build a real character, not just anor Bette Davis. And I have discovered that I have more in common with her than I ever would have imagined, as actresses, by our way of acting. "Yes, I am not an alcoholic and I am very well with my family," ironed al randon. In addition to an assistant who helped her adopt accent of Bette Davis, she saw her classics in black and white and recovered dozens of interviews she had given on televisions and festivals. "In all he comes out smoking, always, all time," he said. and although y don't smoke tobacco , y smoke "or things", she threw with a smile. Known is ir support for legalization of marijuana.

But what brings it to Sitge s is one of its first films, most surreal, hallucinated and delirious of all: Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). This morning, at 1, he will officiate as a master of ceremonies in musical's special pass, with public armed with water pistols (to shoot in storm that leaves Susan and her newly-promised thrown in car at midnight), confetti (to throw alongside him) S Transylvanian at time that Rocky and Frank go to ir bridal suite), rice (to be used in wedding scene), hats Party ... Because musical demands from public a series of items with instructions of use. A whole science fiction party. "Ha!" The shooting wasn't as much fun as it seems. I was terrified to sing. And by shooting a scene in my underwear I caught pneumonia for a month. There was No heating and y put a few screens near a stove that ended up burning. It was a low budget production. "And every few days I had to move out of hotel," recalled al Randon. In 70 just started his career, had shot a thriller (The Forgotten Joe), a soap opera and had gone up to tables of Broadway, but his first blockbuster hit came with Rocky. In ' 91, Thelma & Louise would come. But tired of Louise's shadow, she doesn't even talk about that movie. For her "most special" was Death Penalty (1995), for which she won an Oscar for her role of sister Helen Prejean, a royal nun who wrote a book about her experience in death row as a spiritual counselor. I was very involved, as an actress and producer. I had already read book and sister Helen is still a friend of mine, ' admitted al Randon.

More and more film festivals are talking about television. and borders are diluted. The veteran actress claimed television series as a new space in which women have more and more prominence: 'on television it gives rise to female characters with more strength, more attractive. There are roles of powerful women who are not 22 years old. The cinema has been left behind in this aspect '. Yes it was particularly critical with phenomenon of reality (set as an example of Kardashian family), social networks and false media reality that Warhol already premonizó in his famous «In future, all will be famous during 15 minutes. " Today, children aspire to be famous, y are not interested in being actors or singers. "There are even castings in which most of followers have your talent," he lamented. But this morning Susan will return to 70, to that Rocky show that cost him pneumonia.

The Queen of ping pong

Does anyone imagine Susan Saran on as a ping pongfan? Well, yes. Among human rights demonstrations and various filming, actress has become most famous player in United States. A few years ago he founded a ping pong club in New York: The Spin, a very underground bar that started on Broadway but later expanded through or cities, from Milwaukee to Los Angeles. Even when he went to Greek island of country to collaborate in a refugee camp, al Rand on also took some ping pong tables. I love this game. It is very difficult to hurt yourself and small girls can challenge ir parents or very muscular types. "Anyone can play," he acknowledged. Only she, most committed Hollywood face, can see in ping pong a democratic table of gender equality and classes.