Cristóbal Balenciaga is a drama series that shows how the titular Spanish design maestro defied social conventions to revolutionise the world of fashion.
Balenciaga is now a household name in the fashion industry, but the wold famous designer actually rose from humble origins to become a global icon. It stars Alberto San Juan as the Spanish fashionista who defied his social status as the son of a seamstress and a fisherman and made his name by going toe-to-toe with fashion greats such as Chanel, Dior and Givency. Game of Thrones and The Tower star Gemma Whelan also stars as Times journalist Prudence Glynn.
Here’s everythhing you need know about the Disney+ series Cristóbal Balenciaga…
Cristóbal Balenciaga release date
Cristóbal Balenciaga will premiere on Disney Plus on Friday January 19 2024 in the UK. The show is expected to be released on Hulu in the US but when this, and a US air date, is confirmed, we’ll update you on here.
Is there a trailer for Cristóbal Balenciaga?
Disney Plus has released a couple of Spanish trailers for Cristóbal Balenciaga, one of which which has the background music of Edith Piaf's famous song Je Ne Regrette Rien. Although there are no English subtitles, you can see some of his stunning catwalk creations. Take a look at both below...
Cristóbal Balenciaga plot
The series starts with Cristóbal Balenciaga (Alberton San Juan) telling his life story to the journalist Prudence Glynn (Gemma Whelan) as the drama goes back to his first Parisian Haute Couture collection in 1937. He’s left behind a successful career in Madrid but his designs don’t quite work in Paris, the fashion capital of the world where the likes of Dior and Chanel rule supreme. However, Cristóbal is not one to admit defeat and thanks to his relentless ambition and obsession with controlling every aspect of his life, he begins to define his style and climb to the top of the fashion ladder.
Cristóbal Balenciaga cast — Alberto San Juan as fashion designer Cristóbal Balenciaga
Playing the lead role of Cristóbal Balenciaga is Alberto San Juan. He’s previously starred in Sleep Tight, Other Side of the Bed, The King, Four’s a Crowd and Gran Reserva. El origen.
Gemma Whelan as Prudence Glynn
Gemma Whelan plays journalist Prudence. She’s best known for her role as Yara Greyjoy in Game of Thrones but has also been in Gulliver’s Travels, Threesome, The End of the F***ing World, Hetty Feather and Upstart Crow. She played Marian in Gentleman Jack and recently appeared in DI Ray and The Tower.
* See our exclusive interview with Gemma below...
Who else is starring in Cristóbal Balenciaga?
Cristóbal Balenciaga also stars Adam Quintero, Belén Cuesta, Josean Bengoetxea, Cecilia Solaguren, Adam Quintero, Thomas Coumans, Anouk Grinberg, Gabrielle Lazure, Patrice Thibaud, Nine d'Urso and Anna-Victoire Olivier.
Exclusive interview: Gemma Whelan on playing Prudence Glynn in Cristóbal Balenciaga
Thanks to playing Yara Greyjoy in in Game of Thrones, then her roles in Gentleman Jack and The Tower, Gemma Whelan has become very well-known to British TV viewers. Now she’ll be acting entirely in Spanish in the sumptuous period drama Cristóbal Balenciaga. The six-parter – in Spanish and French with English subtitles – explores the late fashion designer’s life story, with Spanish film star Alberto San Juan as the troubled couturier Cristobal, who rose from humble beginnings to worldwide fame in the 1930s after he took his revolutionary designs from Madrid to Paris in 1937. Meanwhile, Whelan plays The Times fashion editor Prudence Glynn, who gets the scoop of her career in 1971 when Balenciaga grants her a rare interview looking back at his life. We chatted to Gemma Whelan to find out more…
Tell us about starring in the series Cristóbal Balenciaga…
Gemma Whelan says: "It’s Cristobal Balenciaga’s story, told via the journalist who I play called Prudence Glynn. Through beautiful flashbacks, we get a rich exploration of his life. It’s not all glossy and pretty, though. There are also ugly bits as he struggles with his demons."
How did you become a part of a drama in a foreign language?
Gemma says: "I got a text from my agent going, ‘Gem, you speak Spanish, don't you?’ I mean, I can order a beer and a sandwich, but the Spanish I was required to learn was incredibly complicated, aristocratic Spanish!"
Did you take extra Spanish lessons?
Gemma says: "I had tutoring from this amazing woman twice a week on Zoom. We went through every script line by line, over and over again. I don’t know why I thought it was a good idea to do a role in a different language. But it was a real privilege to be a part of this series."
Tell us about Prudence Glynn…
Gemma says: "Obviously she was a real person, although there’s not much out there about her. Balenciaga had been famously shy of a press, but she captured something in him and he said, okay now's the time to tell my life story!"
How did you find filming in Spain?
Gemma says: "I’ve filmed there before for Game of Thrones, but this time we were there for three weeks as a family. So a seven-month-old and a four-year-old, a husband and a nanny! We lost our luggage on the way there – our car seat, our buggy, everything – and we didn’t get it back until day 12. But the production team were absolutely amazing and got us what we needed!"
What can you tell us about your outfits?
Gemma says: "We had Bina Daigeler [Mulan, Mrs America], who’s an Academy Award-nominated costume designer. So for Coco Chanel’s funeral scene I wore a replica Balenciaga red coat that they made especially for me. Sadly I didn’t get to keep it though!"
