Despite distinguished work for such prestigious directors as Carlos Saura (Los zancos / Stilts, 1984) and Vicente Aranda (Si te dicen que cai / If They Tell You I've Fallen, 1989), Banderas is best known for his association with Pedro Almodóvar since his screen debut in Laberinto de pasiones / Labyrinth of Passions (1982). The core of Banderas's persona in the 1980s is that of a naive young man burdened and slightly unbalanced by familial and religious repression (Matador, 1986), a great passion (for Muslim fundamentalism in Laberinto de pasiones, for the Republic in Si te dicen que cai, for Victoria Abril in ¡Atame! / Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, 1989), or both: La ley del deseo / The Law of Desire (1987). He has regularly played gay men—in Laberinto, La ley and Philadelphia (1993, US) without any loss of popularity. Banderas has appeared in comedy (Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios / Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, 1988) and drama (La blanca paloma / The White Dove, 1990) with equal ease. However, although his performance in the latter won him the prize for best actor at the Valladolid film festival, Banderas is more acclaimed for his charisma and sex appeal than for his acting. In the 1990s, his international popularity led to work in Italy (Il ladro di bambini / Child Thief, 1992) and Hollywood. However, his international career has carried a price, as his roles in American cinema—The Mambo Kings (1991), Philadelphia and Interview with the Vampire (1994)—tend to be pale carbon copies of his Spanish performances.