If there was a category with a clear favorite, it was best leading actor. David Verdaguer has stood out with a big head after leaving critics and the public speechless with the transformation of him into the comedian Eugenio in Know that, the biopic directed by David Trueba. Weeks before, he had already won the Feroz and the Gaudí, which has caused the pools to have their eyes on him.
The Catalan actor was competing with Manolo Solo (Close Your Eyes), Enric Auquer (The Master Who Promised the Sea), Hovik Keuchkerian (Un Amor) and Alberto Ammann (Upon Entry), whom he applauded for their respective works. Verdaguer has prevailed over all of them by knowing how to capture the essence of the character which, as he recognized at the San Sebastián festival – where the first trailer of the film was screened – was a challenge that he assumed with “a lot of responsibility.” “I wouldn’t say that I could die now, but if it happened, I would feel calmer after having played Eugenio,” he joked.
Already then David Trueba, directing the film, announced that without Verdaguer and Carolina Yuste, who plays Conchita, the comedian’s partner, “everything would have been much more difficult, much more complicated and the result much less successful. I think they have been wonderful and that they are going to be the source of pleasure and enjoyment for many viewers.”
The truth is that more than one critic has assured that, if you close your eyes, it is possible to hear Eugenio’s authentic voice. All thanks to the magnificent work that the interpreter has done and his spectacular ear, which has allowed him to perfect intonation. If we add to that the makeup, for which he spent an hour and 40 minutes each day, and which consisted, among other things, of a false nose and metamorphosing his beard and hair, many spectators have claimed to relive one of the legendary comedian shows.
The Valladolid Fair is the setting this Saturday for the Goya Awards gala, an event that this edition the Film Academy takes advantage of to testify that sexual violence and abuses of power can have no place in society in general and in the world of cinema in particular. 20,000 Species of Bees, the debut feature by Estibaliz Urresola, and The Snow Society, by Juan Antonio Bayona, are the titles that bring together the greatest number of nominations, with 15 and 13 respectively.
