Alexia Pascual: "My mother tells me I'm a bit of a cheapskate"

BarcelonaFrom a young age, actress and singer Alexia Pascual (Constantí, 2001) has sought ways to do theater, sing, dance, and perform on stage. "I remember a musical theater teacher telling my mother, 'If Alexia ever considers this path, give her your support.'" This pushed the artist to pursue it professionally. "At school, you study physics, math, language, and art, but nobody tells you that you can be an artist," she explains in statements to theCompaniesPascual says hers is a "sacrificing" job: "I have to work a normal workday while constantly moving around the industry looking for work because the contract is temporary." "Also, I work with my body and I have to be in constant training and take care of my voice," explains the star of Sea and sky in the latest edition of Dagoll Dagom.

"In my personal and social life, I sacrifice everything because I have a completely different schedule than the rest of the world," she says. She's currently performing in Madrid: "It's Christmas vacation and I'm home alone because I'm working. [...] I have my grandmother, who's 93, and I won't see her this holiday season." She's even considered the impact of her personal life on her work: "I've asked myself, 'Do I want to be a mother?' I don't know, and it's not my time yet, but I would be capable of sacrificing the conventional things in life to dedicate myself to my profession." "It's hard to say, but I know I'm obsessed with my profession; I have a touch of obsession," the artist confesses.

"It's because of all the sacrifices that I think being an actor isn't well paid. And I'm speaking from a place of privilege," Pascual emphasizes. "But I feel like I came here with this mission; I couldn't be happy doing anything else. It's like a weighty, universal truth," the actress points out. In fact, she feels very grateful to be able to dedicate herself to it: "This motivation, this strength, this passion I have is what compensates for any sacrifice I might make."

As for personal finances, she has never struggled to make ends meet: "I've always been a hard worker and I've never hesitated to do anything. For example, when I've had to babysit, I've done it." She has always been aware of the financial difficulties artists face and, for that reason, has always tried to have a source of income: "I've given private singing lessons and theater classes at the school. They don't pay a huge salary, but they're jobs that have allowed me to avoid hardship." "Besides, I have a family behind me who, if I ever go hungry, I know will provide for me," the actress gratefully acknowledges.

Thrifty and a renter

The finalist of the 2022 edition ofEuphoria She considers herself a saver: "My mother tells me I'm a bit of a cheapskate." "In fact, I think I'm sometimes more mature than I should be for my age, because I'm 24 and I have financial worries like someone who's 40," she points out. She adds, "At some point in my life, I want to not have to worry about whether I get a part in an audition or not. And I know that's partly because I'm not wasting money now."

Currently, she's working on the musical Les Misérableswhere she will remain until August, when her contract ends: "If I knew that my salary would last me for many years, maybe I would go on vacation or allow myself to buy a slightly more expensive sweatshirt." But since she lives with uncertainty, she prefers to be prudent. Her main expense is food: "I love discovering new restaurants, and the way things are, going out for dinner now costs twenty euros."

As for housing, Pascual is clear: "Ideally, I would like to buy an apartment. But the housing market is getting worse and worse, and I'm experiencing it firsthand. Renting is unsustainable; it's very expensive." Currently, owning a home is a distant prospect, especially paying a mortgage: "I can play a lead role, which has one salary, or a supporting role, which has another. I never know how much money I can count on, and I have to be very sure I can pay it."

The actress is happy with her current project: "It has been a very intense start because Les Misérables It's a very important musical, so there's been a lot of external pressure, and especially internal pressure. In the future, she'd like to explore new formats: "Things I haven't had the opportunity or time to do until now, like audiovisual media, film, or television, which I really enjoy."