Thursday, September 16, 2010

Carmen Maura stars in Spanish 'Golden Girls' remake

MADRID: Spanish public television TVE began airing a remake of hit US television series "The Golden Girls" starring Oscar-winning director Pedro Almodovar's legendary muse Carmen Maura.

The 65-year-old Spanish actress plays Rose, the ditzy but sweet character played in the original version of the Emmy-winning series by Betty White.

Maura said she is "giving her soul" to the role and wants to bring her own interpretation of the character rather than imitate what her American counterpart has done.

"I ask that you do not compare me to her because our work is different, and she is a genius, so in any comparison I will look bad," she said in an interview posted on the television station's website.

Maura has starred in several of Almodovar's most successful films including the 1988 smash hit "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" and the 2006 film "Volver" where she appeared alongside Penelope Cruz.

TVE plans to produce 13 episodes of its remake of "The Golden Girls" with more in the works if the show draws favourable ratings.

"The Golden Girls", which originally aired in the United States between 1985 and 1992, broke the sitcom mold by focusing on the foibles of four aging women who lived together in a Miami apartment in a television market that normally caters to a younger, product-buying audience.