attack, and I want you to show it. The tendency, I know, is to hide these things from an audience because you want to be very healthy and active.’ You know, Zorro!” Banderas laughs. “But Pedro said, ‘I don’t want you to hide that.’” He says that he knew exactly what the director was talking about. “The night I had a heart attack I was sleeping at the hospital, and this older nurse was taking care of me. She said, ‘Antonio, why do you think people say I love you with all of my heart and not, I love you with all of my brain or I love you with my liver? They say that because the heart is a warehouse for feelings. And my friend, you are going to be very sad for the next three or four months.’ I said, ‘Depression?’ ‘No, depression is a medical condition,’ she said. ‘Sad.’ “And it’s true. I am not a crier – my whole entire life I’ve been a ‘tough guy,’ you know? And then I was crying over everything, from reading a poem or watching a movie. I thought, ‘Oh my God, why am I so emotional?’ And Pedro saw it. Because he’s smart, and because he knows me very well after so many years. He said, ‘I want that in your character.’”
Antonio Banderas in Pain and Glory
Almodóvar’s cinema has long teased at autobiography, but "Pain and Glory" is his most openly self-reflective work. Fantastically blurring fiction and real memories, and pitching back and forth in time, the film plumbs relationships with old lovers, his late mother (played by Almodóvar favorites Penélope Cruz and Julieta Serrano) and his actors. When one of Salvador’s early films is restored, he reconnects with its estranged lead, Alberto (Asier Etxeandia) – a composite of many figures from Almodóvar’s life. “I know there are lines in that character that are mine!” says Banderas. “In a way, the movie is about reconciliation, about looking back and coming to terms. Some of these events, I knew, yes. Is everything you see real? No. But it is more real than not real, in a way. It is Almodóvar probably saying the things he wanted to say but never said, the things he wanted to do but never did. “That’s why the movie goes from the personal to the universal, and touches people’s hearts,” he continues. “Because we all travel through life with a backpack filled with pain and glory, with miseries and greatness. That is so human.” Mischievous, sexy, lyrical and deeply affecting, "Pain and Glory" feels like a homecoming for both director and star. Fittingly, these days Banderas is spending more time in Spain, and returning to his first love, the stage. “I was born in the theatre, the theatre was my art. It still is now,” he says. “I just did something really stupid. I just found the most romantic way to ruin myself: I bought a theatre in Malaga,” he laughs. “I am spending so much money that I’m going to have to do some stupid movies.” "Pain and Glory" is now streaming for purchase or rental on Amazon Prime Video, VUDU, YouTube, and more starting at $3.99.
ONLINE CLASSES & SEMINARS Virtual Early Childhood Music Classes While Merit School of Music’s building is temporarily closed to keep the community healthy and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, music and playtime can continue at home with Merit’s virtual Early Childhood music classes. These online classes will feature the same engaging, pedagogically-rich programming Merit offers, all available from the comfort of one's own home. All that's needed to join the fun is a computer or mobile device and access to the internet. Classes start at $150 For more info and registration, visit www.meritmusic.org/earlychildhood Rallying in Challenging Times The current pandemic has challenged everyone individually, organizationally, communally, societally and globally. This program addresses how individuals can lead more effectively, more relationally, more compassionately during these and other difficult conditions – and stresses how times of crisis can also be times of renewal and transformation. The sessions bring together faculty from Spertus Institute’s Center for Jewish Leadership—including those who teach in Spertus Institute's Certificate in Jewish Leadership (presented in partnership with Northwestern University)—to share their experiences and insights as others face unique and complex challenges in their own lives and organizations. In this workshop series, Spertus Dean and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Keren E. Fraiman converses with members of the Spertus faculty on some of the most relevant leadership issues of today. Events are FREE and open to the public, Reservations appreciated at spertus.edu Session 1 Learning from Vulnerability and Resilience in Times of Crisis Wednesday, April 1, 12 - 1 pm Dr. Dean P. Bell, Spertus president and CEO and Dr. Mike Hogue, professor at the Meadville Lombard Theological School, share insights from their work on vulnerability, resilience, and religion. Crises can reveal things that are ordinarily invisible or overlooked; they can bring out the best and worst in people. This workshop addresses how to leverage crisis. Session 2 Mobilizing Leadership in Times of Crisis Monday, April 6, 12 - 1 pm Spertus Chancellor Dr. Hal M. Lewis, a renowned Jewish leadership expert and executive coach, will share strategies and best practices for effective leadership during times of crisis. Questions addressed during this workshop include: W hat are the essential elements of effective crisis leadership? How does leading in crisis differ from leadership during “normal” times? W hat must a leader do to take care of herself during a crisis? W hat happens when the crisis subsides? .
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