Almodovar: Women who “saved” Spain inspire me

Spanish director Pedro Almodovar said Sunday that his “female characters” were “inspired” by the women who “saved” Spain from “the war.”

Almodovar spoke during a symposium ahead of the London premiere of the musical “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.”

“When I was a boy, I grew up surrounded by strong women, like my mother and neighbors, the kind of generation of women who saved our country from the war. I’m talking about the women of La Mancha, without discriminating, who discussed everything out in the yard and in the streets,” Almodovar said.

The director said he felt that he had “inherited” from these women “the inspiration for the female characters” that he has written about all his life.

The musical, which opens at the London Playhouse on Monday, is based on one of Almodovar’s most famous films, which won five Goyas and was nominated for an Oscar.