It’s your year. Without losing the aura of a born seducer that has always accompanied him, this man from Madrid with Andalusian roots enjoys one of the advantages of being 46 years old and with some gray hair: more complex roles that he approaches with the experience of three decades as an actor (Los hombres de Paco , The Ministry of Time, The Passenger Lovers, My Big Night…).
These days he is promoting two premieres: Faro, by Ángeles Hernández, and the comedy Searching for Coque (Malla). A packed agenda while the verdict of the Gaudí and Goya awards arrives, for which he opts as a supporting actor for Un amor by Isabel Coixet. He confesses that he has overcome the initial nervousness upon learning of the nominations, but he knows that he will feel it again at the galas. He has prepared a speech in case he wins “more than anything out of a matter of humility and gratitude, so as not to be left speechless.”
He said that he had fun playing Píter, that detestable neighbor from Un amor.
I connected with him as a small revenge towards guys like him, manipulators under that apparent kindness, who erode self-esteem. In the search process to create the character I found many references throughout my life. Before I was not aware, not me but in general, but thanks to the feminist movement that has taken so many steps in recent years, men have become aware of that attitude.
It is an atypical role in his career.
Yes, it has given me the opportunity to do something different. There are certain performers who, not because of their physique but because of the energy they give off, are placed in roles with more security, more strength. I don’t regret any role, I have learned from them but I am delighted because I am getting older and more complete, contradictory characters arrive, with dark sides that emerge and vulnerability. They are more fun.
Lighthouse premieres. Thriller, horror, drama? What would you say about her?
What attracted me to the script is that psychological terror that generates in the viewer the doubt of whether what they are seeing is really happening or if it is the mind of the protagonist (Zoe Arnao) that plays a macabre joke on them. I really liked playing a man who must take care of his teenage daughter, with whom he has a distance but at the same time she is his little girl.
The story makes you think about how life can change in an instant.
Any loss of a loved one is disconcerting to say the least, a vital experience from which no one escapes. And that makes you change roles. As the film reflects, all couples, unconsciously, share roles and when an event changes them, it is difficult to face it.
Did being a father help you with the role?
Well, an actor must be able to freak out and get into the skin of anyone, a murderer, for example, but it is true that if you already have that experience you arrive sooner, in a more direct and much less mental way.
He has two sons, Diego and Darío, 14 years old. Was he a father alone, as was said?
No, I did not make the decision alone, but in any case everything that has to do with my children is handled discreetly, especially out of respect for them. It’s not hyper-protective, but I don’t want them to have that burden due to the fact that I have this public exposure. When they are older they will choose their path.
What essential value do you instill in them?
For me, educating is above all sharing experiences and learning with them. I understand that just as I learned my father’s values, my children will do the same with me. I think fatherhood is a long-distance race and I am quite calm and proud of them.
And on the feminist issue, so that they do not repeat certain patterns?
The best thing I can do in this sense for them, and for everyone, is to play roles like Un amor. When a character has a trait that is contrary to me or my principles, I really enjoy it, it amuses me. In fact, I don’t understand when there are colleagues who sometimes want to save their characters so much. People have contradictions and that is wonderful. What’s more, making a perfect character is a pain.
Is it difficult for you to reconnect with your life after the ‘bubble’ of filming?
No, in fact I really enjoy disconnecting from filming. I arrive on set and I’m at my best all the time, but I finish my day and I’m going to enjoy my children, my family, and if I’m away I connect with them. The complicated thing is that we don’t have a fixed work rhythm but that sometimes gives you free time.
Your partner, Marta Guerras, is also an actress, does that facilitate the relationship?
That is totally circumstantial.
Are you living the life you wanted?
I stopped idealizing life a long time ago, precisely at a time when networks make us idealize a lot. I know that happiness is in small moments and I try to fully enjoy my people, my friends, my work, the creative processes. It’s all about looking for the kind, good and even funny side of life.
And compare little…how do you handle the networks?
I use them as a tool, to inform myself, what I get the most, due to the algorithm, are exercise and food routines. I love to eat and I really like to cook at home and try things. We all cook at home, a little bit of family comes to us. My grandmother was a school cook and she was also a girl who was hungry, so we enjoyed the topic of food very much, we gave it a lot of importance. Now what I most want to cook are spooning dishes, it’s like a tribute to my grandmother. I put on flamenco, copla and prepare stew, stew, stew, lentils…
Andalusian roots…
Yes, my whole family comes from Andalusia. I was born in Madrid but I was the first in the family to be born there.
Did you always want to be an actor?
Always; As a child I watched movies and wanted to be there. I didn’t know what it meant. One day my mother told me: “Sure, what you want is to be an actor” and she explained to me that there was something called Dramatic Art.
Before becoming an actor he worked as an electrician for a while. I think until he was fired for being an extra in The Martian Chronicles…
TRUE. It’s an anecdote, but it was quite decisive because as a result of that I started studying theater and working at night to pay for it.
From whom have you learned the most in the trade?
Of all my colleagues. From Carmen Machi, Juan Diego, from Pepón and Paco Tous… The list would be enormous. Growing up alongside so many people is one of the best things about this profession, getting to know them and learning from them.
And in life?
I think it comes from my grandmother, with her wisdom and self-confidence, and from my mother, with very strong values. From my family, actually. I am an only child but I grew up with cousins, uncles, all on Letrillas Street in San Blas. We ate at grandma’s house and on the weekend we went to the countryside. A kind of tribe, which remains a network of unconditional support, above disagreements.
What virtue do you prefer about yourself?
What I value most in people is humility and I try to have it. You just have to browse the networks and see that humility is lacking in general. And without humility there is no empathy.
Do you consider yourself ambitious?
It was a lot, but the steam has been going down. Age makes some things relative. And I’m calmer. I like to be at home, cooking, chatting instead of going to an electronic music festival, like before.
What defect complicates your life?
The fears. They always go against each other. Above all, let someone I love suffer.
What worries you about current events?
Right now I think we are witnessing a genocide and if I tell you the truth I am so shocked that I am no longer able to focus on other things. It seems so heartless to me that I can’t get any more indignant. It is the utter horror and degradation of our species.