Anna Moliner: "Why are we so afraid to talk about being Catalan and to laugh at ourselves?"

Anna Moliner (Badalona, 1984) has been a familiar face on screens and the Catalan theatre scene for years. As she herself explains, she's been working hard for a long time, and in recent weeks we've been able to see two of her most interpretive facets: the more dramatic one, with the premiere of the film Balandrau, vent salvatge, and the more comedic one, with the series Departament Amades, which is making a name for itself in 3Cat's offering. Moliner doesn't stop and is already immersed in rehearsals for a theatre project. In Departament Amades you play Dolça, one of the employees in the Folklore and Traditions department of the Generalitat. How did the project come to you?

— Before reading the script, I received a call from Júlia Cot, co-creator of the series with Jordi López Casanovas. She and I had studied audiovisual communication together at Pompeu Fabra over twenty years ago. We always understood each other very well, from the first year. There are people you see who have something innate, and in Júlia's case, she already wrote humor brilliantly. I got into [the degree] because they tell you to go to university, even though I was very clear that I wanted to be an actress. In practical classes, I always played the actress in whatever they assigned. Júlia and I always got along very well, but when we finished university, we stopped seeing each other. I like to make lists of dreams and projects, and once on one of them, I put: "do a project with Júlia". And then I received her call and she sent me the script. I thought it was the most original idea I had ever read.

What did you like about the project?

— When you've been working hard for years, being offered a leading role is always exciting. I love comedy, and I always defend it as something difficult to do but which I believe gives meaning to our lives. I can't imagine our lives without a sense of humor. It's a series made with very few resources, but something magical happened, we believed in it a lot. It's exciting to see that, even though it's a small series, there's been a very good response from people. We're dreaming of making a new season.

The series talks about Catalan folklore and culture. Do fictions that talk about local things connect best with the viewer?

— I've always thought that we lacked series with our own references. We look a lot at productions from abroad; I'm the first one who can't stop watching American or English series, but we have to believe that we can make series about ourselves. Why are we so afraid to talk about being Catalan and laughing at ourselves? Of, after all, having an identity and believing in ourselves and writing about ourselves? For me, that was also very important about this project: being able to create a collective imaginary in which we all felt identified and were not afraid to talk and laugh about it.

How much did you know about Catalan folklore before making the series?

— I was terrible, I would have failed! [laughs] I'm glad that Catalan folklore is being talked about more now and is resurfacing with exhibitions and books. I think what is local can be universal if it's well done and if the stories are made from what we know. I had to take an intensive course because Dolça couldn't be more of an expert.

Dolça is an enthusiastic person. Do you see yourself reflected in that enthusiasm?

— Júlia and Jordi would tell you that from the first moment I was motivated. If you do this job, it's because you have a passion and a motivation, because otherwise, how do you do it, being so vocational and artistic? But the spirit of Dolça did possess me a bit. We defined her as the "motivated one" because for her, the Folklore and Traditions department is like the FBI. She believes that what she does is the most important thing in the world, but I think, even as an actress, that's what I like to be. If you do something, you get deeply involved.

It's a bit reminiscent of the protagonist from Parks and Recreation, Amy Poehler's comedy.

— I hadn't seen that series; I saw it when Júlia told me, and it's Dolça's great reference. I've fallen in love with that actress. I love actresses who are so good and have no complex about clowning around, putting themselves in ridiculous situations, and playing like children.

Traditions move Dolça. What moves you?

— So many things! I'm moved by understanding life from this artistic vocation; it's very tied to me. Seeing that the work you do connects with people. I went to shoot every day very motivated, even though we were exhausted because we had very little time to shoot and we were very stressed. We were very tight on budget; it was what we had, and we accepted it like that. We overcame this difficulty with motivation.

On social media, you once wrote that kindness moves you. Why?

— Yes, good people, tenderness, solidarity move me. Our work isn't selfish; it's work that must be done very generously and with others. I always say I like working with talented people, but above all with good people.

But we've always had the myth that great geniuses have the right to be terrible people and can mistreat you. Do we have to break with this idea?

— For me, yes. More and more, even if I admire an actor a lot, if I meet them directly and they're an idiot, I'm no longer interested. I prefer to work with good people. I think, in general, being in an environment where you can be yourself, without judgment and without envy, is a whole other story. When that doesn't happen, the myth falls apart for me.

Are you very starstruck?

— I've never been much of one, but if Meryl Streep were to appear here, I'd have a serious moment. Especially with Hollywood actors, it's inevitable to be a bit starstruck, but you end up learning that we're all human and everyone must have their flaws.

You've done musical theatre. Do you think Catalonia is currently in a particularly good moment for this genre?

— It feels like I've done a lot of musical theatre, but I haven't done that much. What happens is that, because I sing, I've often sung in shows. I have a love-hate relationship with musicals: I'm passionate about them, I believe that in terms of live performance, it's one of the most impressive things you can see in theatre, but sometimes I don't feel very identified with how musicals are made here. Generalizing a lot, I think there's a great emphasis on singing and dancing well, and sometimes interpretation is left aside; and, for me, it's the opposite. For me, a musical is a play, and I'm interested in seeing actors. Then there's a score that must be followed, obviously, but above all, it must be interpreted. I think right now we have incredible musicals, and if it's moving in that direction, that's great. And musicals in Catalan. We have a wonderful tradition of companies, like Dagoll Dagom, who have created an imaginary that we all feel part of. We shouldn't stop doing that, but it's also true that making a musical is very expensive. It's a catch-22. I hope we can continue to feel that musical theatre is part of our culture.

After studying audiovisual communication, have you ever considered doing like Júlia Cot and writing or directing?

— I have the degree and I've never done anything, although my work is related to it. I have to tell you that as the years go by, you reach an age where you say: "Now I do feel prepared." I don't know what: directing, writing... but yes, more personal projects and not just waiting to be called. I hope so, it's on the list.

On the list of wishes you'd like to fulfill! Is that list very long?

— It's renewed every year. It's a bit of a ritual. There are some wishes that are repeated year after year and you think: "Oh, this one is still here, how annoying!"

Have you been able to fulfill all of them in any year?

— Not all of them, never, it's impossible. A year is only so long. But you've caught me at a time when the next thing I'd like to do is my own project, or at least start thinking about it and cultivating it.

You mentioned earlier how much you like comedy, but I believe your favorite book is Anna Karenina and your favorite series is Six Feet Under. There's not much comedy here...

— Oh, it seems I'm super intense! [laughs] Let's see, Six Feet Under has touches of comedy, but Anna Karenina is a drama, that's true. I should add some comedy. After Parks and Recreation, I watched the North American The Office, having only seen the English one, by Ricky Gervais. Steve Carell is my favorite type of actor because he can do sublime comedy and then you see him in other registers and you love it.

Your sister is Núria Moliner, who is dedicated to communication and dissemination of architecture. You are both well-known and often compared. Are you starting to get tired of it?

— No, it's very funny. We admire each other a lot. Even though we have a few years between us [Anna is seven and a half years older than Núria], we've always helped each other a lot and given each other advice. Núria studied architecture, and it surprised us all when she started appearing in the media. Sometimes I tell her she's also a bit of an actress because we both communicate. It fills me with pride that she has forged a path that no one had laid out for her: she's an architect, she decides not to build, and, in addition, she makes programs and creates a production company. Wow, it's admirable.

What you both share is a relationship with music.

— We've always been grateful to our parents. We liked to sing, our parents liked music, and they enrolled us in music lessons. We have very basic training, but we both played the piano at one point. Núria plays much better than I do. She's made three albums, I've made one, but music has always been a tool I've had as an actress. It's another language we have to express ourselves.

Is there any song that unites you?

— I'll tell you two. When we were little, we liked a series called Full House and its theme song. In the credits, the characters appeared in a garden, and every time we saw a patch of grass, we'd throw ourselves on it and sing the song. And then one of the songs from the musical Hairspray, Good Morning Baltimore, which the protagonist sings super-motivated. We're back to the motivated one! Sometimes, we'd sing it together at home.