Her name has already been called in the place where most Spanish actors dream of hearing theirs, and with her first ever Goya Award nomination as best new actress, it seems as if the theme of the film, where her character is in constant search of those meaningful first times, has jumped out of the screen and manifested in real life. Her name was going to be called that night, but with the impeccable red Dior ensemble from the Cruise 2023 collection she wore for the occasion, she made sure the world remembered not only her name but her face. When someone wears red, and even more when someone wears Dior, it is very difficult not to naturally and instinctively turn our heads in their direction.

That has been her reality ever since the premiere of the film that gave her the nomination, La consagracion de la primavera. The name comes from Stravinsky’s very influential and controversial at the moment, ballet The Rite of Spring. Music plays an important role throughout the story and works as a sort of bridge between the two main characters, both of whom search for their own moment of realisation, a journey where they share paths for a moment but that starts and ends on their own. Valèria’s character appears on screen in every scene of the movie, and even if her presence is always there, the more meaningful moments end up being the long periods of silence, ones that just by the look on her face we can tell are not quiet at all in her head; inside it must sound like Stravinsky’s piece, contradicting, confusing, slightly stress-inducing, and above all things, passionate. It seems like an accurate description of the teenager’s years, a conversation we also have here.

Venturing into not only acting but also music and writing, Valèria represents a breath of fresh air in the industry. Without pretences and with an elegant simplicity to her, she finds happiness in her craft and in the applause. She’s now enjoying the best of both.