Rendez-vous with… Pedro Almodóvar

About the essence of his short film

It’s a response to the question raised by Ang Lee‘s Brokeback Mountain (2006): what can two men do on a ranch? The answer is simple: perfectly human things, like looking out for each other! My film is completely different from Sergio Leone‘s westerns, which revolutionized the genre. I made a classic western where I talk about the desire between two cowboys. In many of my films, there are explicit sex scenes. But as time goes by, I have less desire to show things in that way. I wanted to show pleasure and desire differently, by simply filming the upper parts of their bodies and their faces, with the sensuality captured more in their gazes.

On his approach to appropriating the western genre

The subject of homosexuality has been rarely addressed in westerns, despite being an excellent dramatic subject. Jane Campion was the first to touch on the issue in The Power of the Dog. But her film only deals with ambiguous sexuality, and never really talks about desire. They never make love. That being said, things are progressing. In the past five years, there have been three great westerns that address this issue: those of Chloé Zhao, Kelly Reichardt and Jane Campion. This was my first western, and I didn’t want to appear anachronistic, especially in the eyes of Americans, because it’s their genre. So, I imagined an abstract western in my own way. There is a completely theatrical scene based on dialogues. I didn’t want to show their naked bodies, but rather their naked voices. When I planned this film, I decided not to show them nude, leaving the audience to toy with their imagination. It said more about their desire than a sex scene. I also didn’t want to make a spaghetti western.

About Ethan Hawke

He has everything it takes to portray the authority of a sheriff. He is Texan, therefore very American, but he’s not a typical American actor. He’s an adventurer who goes wherever destiny calls him. I’ve always admired Ethan, and that’s what attracted me to him. I saw that he was capable of adapting to all kinds of roles. What also reassured me a lot was that he knew how to ride a horse! I knew he could show coldness, distance, and he knew how to keep secrets.

Ethan Hawke talks about the moment he received Pedro Almodóvar’s invitation

I received an email and a script with the invitation to take part. I suddenly thought that I’d certainly done something right in my life to deserve this email! I grew up with westerns, and I was happy to take part in a western that doesn’t mimic old films. Pedro Almodóvar has an original voice, and he reinvents genres every time he touches them. It’s so comfortable, as an actor, to arrive on the set of a great filmmaker and give the best of yourself!

Ethan Hawke, on his experience with Pedro Almodóvar

For me, as long as we’re acting and facing a camera, it’s an act of love. I see all of this as a love experience. Pedro pays attention to every detail, and I’ve noticed a similar obsession in other great filmmakers. The film’s about desire, and I find it very exciting to be watched as an actor. Throughout our lives, we negotiate between who we are and who we want to be. This tension creates cracks within us, and I love Jake for his inner tensions.

Pedro Almodóvar about a specific scene in Strange Way of Life

There’s a scene that makes my film stand out from other westerns: we see two men making a bed! It’s an important scene because for Jake, making that bed is about erasing everything that happened there during the night. It was important to show the daily life of these two characters.

Pedro Almodóvar on the costumes in the film

I drew inspiration from the clothes I saw in western movies. Men always dressed the same way. Sheriffs were always very elegant with string ties. The other characters always had a scarf, dark jeans, and checkered shirts. I wanted more colors. I was inspired by James Stewart in Anthony Mann’s film, as well as Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster.