Blanca Portillo embodies Teresa of Avila, also known as Santa Teresa de Jesús, in Teresa, a film directed by Paula Ortiz. The character emerges as a nun, a mystic, a prolific writer, and the founder of the order of Discalced Carmelites in 1562, a legacy later expanded with Saint John of the Cross, forming a branch of the Carmelites. The cinema has long explored her life from many angles: Carlos Saura once offered an intriguing look at San Juan de la Cruz in Dark Night (1989), starring Juan Diego. A broader cinematic reach includes a world film about St. Teresa, Scenes from the Life of St. Teresa (1926); Teresa de Jesús (1961), a stark reconstruction by Aurora Bautista and performed by Juan de Orduña; and two television series by Pedro Amalio López and Josefina Molina, the latter featuring Concha Velasco and a contemplative take by Ray Loriga and Paz Vega as the saint. Now Blanca Portillo moves the role forward, guiding the audience through landscapes that oscillate between natural settings and hallucinatory revelations. The film, adapted from Juan Mayorga’s Language in Pieces, draws on the Book of Life of Jesus Christ of St. Teresa. It opens this Friday, and Portillo engages in conversation about this unusual cinematic vision of the work, portraying a thoughtful nun who confronts her own truths on screen.
Shooting the film defied conventional methods, incorporating the mystical revelations of St. Teresa and then translating them through digital post-production. How did Portillo experience this process?
Portillo describes a seamless sense of presence, never feeling as though she was shifting through space. Filming took place in outdoor environments, a setup that suited the tone of the piece. She knew the material well, having a close relationship with Juan Mayorga and a deep familiarity with the text. Yet the experience remained demanding: the production occurred in the peak of summer, the nun’s attire was heavy, and the heat added a particular strain to the process.
Was the language itself a hurdle for Portillo?
Portillo is not religious herself, which she says adds a layer of difficulty. The text is dense and must be spoken as if it were entirely natural. The shoot relied on very long takes, which contributed to a unique, almost ceremonial pace. She recalls the experience as something truly singular that she doesn’t anticipate repeating.
How did Portillo approach a figure who is both historically real and profoundly mystical like Teresa of Avila?
The film avoids a strictly historicist lens, prioritizing inner conflict over a chronology of events. There are countless books about Teresa, yet the film centers on doubts and contradictions, presenting a burden that the character bears with remarkable complexity. Portillo emphasizes the internal struggle rather than external milestones, inviting the audience to witness the tension between faith, doubt, and personal conviction.
There was also reflection on working with real figures about whom there is documentation, such as Teresa herself, Concepción Arenal, or Maixabel Lasa. Does Portillo find it easier to inhabit living subjects when a character is crafted by screenwriters from the ground up?
Portillo notes that Maixabel Lasa represented a living, present person with whom she could connect, meeting her only once before filming. In contrast, Concepción Arenal required deduction to imagine her attributes. Teresa required that same imaginative process, focusing on the interior sensitivity rather than a literal imitation. The key was to access the inner pain and to study the character as if she were fictional, finding a truthful core within the material.
Does Portillo approach all characters with the same method?
Yes, the method remains consistent: study first, then let the character reveal themselves through performance. The aim is for the interpretation to feel authentically theirs, a personal synthesis that honors the character’s essence. This approach carries significant responsibility for the actor, especially when portraying a figure of such historical and spiritual weight.
With Teresa opening this Friday, the theatrical season and cinema intersect alongside a contemporary stage work, The Mother of Frankenstein, which premiered a day earlier at Madrid’s National Drama Center and continues at the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya in Barcelona. How does Portillo perceive the differences and similarities between theater and cinema?
Portillo finds both arts equally challenging. The pressures she feels in front of a live audience mirror those she faces in front of a camera, and the growth in reputation brings a heightened sense of responsibility in every medium. In theater, unlike film, a director may decide to walk away after the performance begins, leaving actors to navigate the evolving dynamics in real time. That immediacy shapes the craft differently, yet the emotional core remains consistently demanding across both stages.