Irene Escolar
ARTIST’S PROFILE
Irene started working in cinema when she was very young. At the age of fourteen she was picked by Carlos Saura to work on his movie “The seventh day”. From then on she has worked in twenty three productions with directors such as Christopher Hampton, Jose Luis Cuerda or Hugh Hudson. In 2015 she shot “An Autumn without Berlin” where she played the leading part. This film was in competition at the San Sebastian International Film Festival where she received the Irizar Award as Best Actress. For that same part she was honoured with the Goya Award as Best New Actress as well as plenty of other nominations. In television she played the role of Juana “The Mad” with great success, for this work she received the ACE Award. More recently she has been part of Dime Quién Soy: Mistress of War where she plays the leading part giving life to a woman from the age of eighteen to the age of eighty. Her work has received excellent reviews and was sold to countries all around the world.
Irene has a very solid theatre career in Spain having worked in twenty eight productions with national and internationally recognized directors such as Àlex Rigola or Pascal Rambert.
She has also produced several theatre pieces, like for example David Harrower’s Blackbird or Martin Mcdonagh´s The cripple of Inishmaan. As well as this she created a monologue with Federico Garcia Lorca´s texts which she directed and starred in. In 2019 she was awarded the Comunidad de Madrid Theatre Award for her contribution to theatre in Spain.
In 2020 she created Escenario 0 for HBO Europe where she was the executive producer and acted in three episodes. Escenario 0 features six episodes from prominent writers and filmmakers. A unique project that mixes different disciplines to create an exceptional fusion between the performing and audiovisual arts. It premiered in the San Sebastian International Film Festival with great success.
In 2021 she was part of Competencia Oficial, a film by Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn with Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas. The film premiered and was in official competition at the Venice International Film Festival and opened the section Perlas at the SSIFF. As well as this she has shot Tenéis que venir a verla directed by Jonás Trueba and where she plays a leading part.
Her most recent projects include the play Finlandia, directed by renowned theater director Pascal Rambert; the series Long Shadows, directed by Clara Roquet for Disney+; the film Ariel, directed by Lois Patiño; and the series Abogadas, where she portrays Manuela Carmena. In 2025, the series La Ruta VII Ibiza, in which she plays two characters, and the film Ashes in the Mouth, directed by Diego Luna, will be released.
Read about Irene’s residency project in her own words…
“The opportunity to go to La Moissie Creative Residency comes at a crucial moment in my artistic journey, as I prepare to take on the role of Emma in People, Places & Things by Duncan Macmillan, directed by Pablo Messiez for the upcoming season at Teatro Español of Madrid.
This project is deeply meaningful to me, both for the complexity of the character and the relevance of the play’s themes in today’s world. Emma’s struggle with identity, addiction, and truth demands a profound commitment, not only technically but emotionally and intellectually. To embody her with honesty and depth, I need time and space for exploration—something that the residency at Manoir de la Moissie can uniquely provide.
The calm, focused environment of the Manoir would allow me to immerse myself in the play’s language, rhythms, and psychological layers, while also researching its cultural and philosophical underpinnings. I envision using this residency to work intensively on textual analysis, voice and movement, and emotional preparation, creating a foundation that will enrich the rehearsal process and the final performance.
As an actress, I have always approached my work as a process of discovery and vulnerability. Preparing for Emma requires confronting uncomfortable truths and opening new creative pathways, and I believe that being in an inspiring, reflective setting is essential to achieving this.”
