Paz Vega
Paz Vega: The Muse Of Paulo Coelho’s Best Story
by OMTimes
Acclaimed as a major international actress, Paz Vega has starred in dozens of films in Europe and the Americas. After playing Laura for six seasons of “Seven Lives” (Telecinco,) one of Spain’s longest running sitcoms, the young Seville born actress makes her leap to the big screen, attracting the attention of European audiences in 2001 when she won the Goya for Best New coming Actress and the prestigious Chopard Award for Best Actress at the Cannes International Film Festival for her role as Lucia in “Sex and Lucia” by Julio Medem. Also in 2001, Paz starred in “Only Mine” by Javier Balaguer and was nominated for yet another Goya, this time for Best Actress, marking a milestone in the history of the respected Spanish awards: for the first time, an actress was nominated twice for different roles in one edition.
In 2002, Paz appears in “Talk to Her” by Pedro Almodóvar. The film received the Academy Award for the Best Original Screenplay and the Golden Globe for best foreign language film, among other prestigious awards. In 2013, she repeats her collaboration with the celebrated Spanish director in in “I’m So Excited.” In 2003, she gives life to Vicente Aranda’s “Carmen”, based on the homonymous novel by Prosper Mérimée. Since Carmen, Paz has played several emblematic characters of European History, from Saint Teresa of Avila in “Teresa” by Ray Loriga (2007) to Maria Callas in Olivier Dahan’s “Grace”, which opened the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, to Mary of Hungary in the upcoming “Emperor,” opposite Adrien Broody.
After starring in Columbia Picture’s local language romantic comedy, “Say I Do,” she caught the attention of James L. Brooks, who invited her to co-star in “Spanglish” opposite Adam Sandler. She won the Best Female Newcomer prize of the Phoenix Film Critics Society for her role as Flor. Since “Spanglish,” Paz Vega has been directed by acclaimed filmmakers such as Frank Miller, Danis Tanovic, Oliver Parker, Michelle Placido, and the Taviani brothers and shared billboard with fellow actors such as, Scarlett Johansson, Andie McDowell, Eva Mendes, Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Tim Roth, Christopher Lee and Morgan Freeman, to name a few. She also starred in the Jada Pinkett Smith’s directorial debut, “The Human Contract,” produced by Will Smith.
