Victoria Abril is one of those actresses who makes everything look easy, even when she’s playing characters that would break anyone else. You might know her as the woman tied to a bed in a Pedro Almodóvar flick, or maybe you caught her in a French comedy on a random Tuesday night. Honestly, if you haven’t deep-dived into Victoria Abril movies and tv shows, you are missing out on the backbone of European cinema. She’s got this wild, uninhibited energy that translates across languages, which is probably why she’s just as big in Paris as she is in Madrid.
Most people pigeonhole her as an "Almodóvar girl." While those movies are absolute fire, it’s a bit of a disservice. She was working way before she met Pedro and hasn't stopped since. From her start as a teenage host on a Spanish game show to her gritty, award-winning turns in the 90s, Abril has basically seen it all. She doesn't just act; she devours the screen.
The Almodóvar Era and Why It Stuck
Let’s get the big ones out of the way. When people talk about Victoria Abril movies, they usually start with ¡Átame! (Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!). It was 1990, and she played Marina, a former porn star kidnapped by a recently released mental patient played by Antonio Banderas. It’s a weird, controversial, and surprisingly sweet movie that basically defined her international persona.
Then you’ve got High Heels (Tacones lejanos). She plays Rebeca, a news anchor with some serious mommy issues. The chemistry between her and Marisa Paredes is legendary. It’s high drama, it’s colorful, and it’s peak Almodóvar. If you’re looking for the quintessential Victoria Abril vibe, this is it. She also popped up in Kika as a dominatrix, which, if we’re being real, is exactly the kind of fearless role she thrives on.
The Aranda Collaborations
If Almodóvar made her a star, Vicente Aranda made her an actress. They worked together on about a dozen projects. Seriously. Their collaboration is one of the most prolific in Spanish history.
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- Lovers (Amantes): This is the one that got her the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. She plays Luisa, a widow who starts a torrid affair with a young soldier. It’s dark, it’s sweaty, and it’s incredibly tense.
- Change of Sex (Cambio de sexo): Way back in 1977, she played a young person transitioning. Think about that—doing a role like that in the late 70s in Spain. It shows you exactly how much she cared about the craft over "image."
- El Lute: This was a massive hit in Spain. She played the wife of a famous outlaw, and it’s a gritty, dirty, realistic look at life on the run.
Crossing the Border into French Cinema
A lot of fans don’t realize that Victoria actually lives in France. She’s been there since the early 80s. Because of that, her filmography is split between two worlds. She’s one of the few Spanish stars who managed to become a household name in France without losing her "Spanishness."
In 1995, she starred in French Twist (Gazon maudit). It’s a comedy about a woman who discovers she’s attracted to another woman while her husband is off cheating. It was a massive hit. It proved she could do comedy just as well as she could do the heavy, "crying-in-the-rain" dramas she was known for in Spain.
She’s also been a mainstay on French TV. If you’ve spent any time in France, you know Clem. She played Caroline Boissier for years. It’s a family dramedy, and seeing her transition from the "femme fatale" of the 90s to the cool, slightly chaotic mom was a trip for long-time fans.
Victoria Abril TV Shows: The Small Screen Success
While her movies get the prestige, her TV work is where she’s found a whole new generation of fans. She started on Un, dos, tres... responda otra vez, which was a massive game show in Spain. She’s since said she doesn't really like talking about those early days, but they gave her the timing and the stage presence that she uses today.
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More recently, she was in Sin identidad, a thriller series about a woman looking for her biological parents. She played Fernanda, and honestly, her performance was one of the highlights of the show. She brought this raw, desperate energy to a character who had been dealt a really bad hand in life.
Then there’s Three Days of Christmas (Días de Navidad) on Netflix. It’s a miniseries that follows four sisters at different stages of their lives. Victoria plays one of the sisters in the final segment. It’s a beautiful, bittersweet look at family and secrets. If you haven't seen it, it's a quick binge and totally worth it.
The Hollywood "Almost"
You might be wondering why she never became a massive Hollywood star like Penélope Cruz or Antonio Banderas. She actually tried! She was in Jimmy Hollywood (1994) with Joe Pesci and Christian Slater.
It didn't really land.
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The movie flopped, and Victoria kinda realized that Hollywood didn't know what to do with her. They wanted her to be the "exotic girlfriend," but she’s way too much of a powerhouse for those types of roles. She went back to Europe, and honestly? We’re better off for it. She’s much more interesting in a Spanish or French indie film than she ever would have been in a generic American blockbuster.
Why She Still Matters Today
Victoria Abril isn't just an actress; she’s a survivor. She’s worked through the transition of Spain from a dictatorship to a democracy. She’s navigated the shift from 35mm film to streaming. She even had a stint as a bossa nova singer—check out her album Putcheros do Brasil if you want to hear her surprisingly great voice.
She’s vocal, she’s sometimes controversial in interviews, and she doesn't give a damn about being "likable." That’s what makes her performances so visceral. When she’s on screen, you’re not watching a movie star; you’re watching a person who is probably about to make a very big mistake, and you can’t look away.
Essential Watchlist for New Fans
- Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! – The essential entry point.
- Amantes (Lovers) – For when you want to see her at her most intense.
- Nobody Will Speak of Us When We're Dead – She won a Goya for this one. She plays a woman trying to escape her past in Mexico and Madrid. It's a masterpiece.
- Clem – If you want to see her lighthearted, TV-friendly side.
- High Heels – The fashion, the drama, the Almodóvar of it all.
If you're looking to dive into her filmography, start with the Almodóvar classics to get a feel for her energy, then pivot to the Vicente Aranda films for the real grit. Most of her major works are available on specialized streaming platforms like MUBI or Criterion Channel, though you can find her more recent TV work like Three Days of Christmas on Netflix. For a deeper look at her French career, search for Clem or French Twist on European VOD services.
Check out Nadie hablará de nosotras cuando hayamos muerto next. It’s often overshadowed by her Almodóvar work, but many critics consider it her absolute best performance. It’s a grim, beautiful noir that shows exactly why she’s one of the greatest to ever do it.