Mario Casas: "If you say you're a method actor, in Spain you're considered a freak"

BarcelonaMario Casas (A Coruña, 1986) returns to romantic cinema with The secret of the goldsmith, first work by Olga Osorio. Based on the novel of the same name by Èlia Barceló (Debolsillo, 2005), the Goya winner plays a successful goldsmith who, on his way to New York, decides to stop in the town where he fell in love for the first time. Casas and Michelle Jenner star in the film, which will be released in theaters this Friday.

Ten years after Palm trees in the snow You're returning to the romance genre. Why now?

— Because the script arrived. These more classic romantic stories, with epic airs in the style of Palm trees in the snow. Now the youth romantic genre is brought more, as in Three meters above the sky, which I already did a while ago.The secret of the goldsmith I liked the story, the 1950s Humphrey Bogart-type character and the fantastical time travel part. It was a different script and had a more adult look at love that I hadn't done before.

Juan Pablo is a man who lives in the memory of his first love from his youth. How do you build a character trapped in nostalgia?

— Imagining what I experienced when I was eighteen, or even before. When you fall in love for the first time you are embarrassed. With Gerard Oms, the coach As actors I've been working with for years, shame worked really well for the character's look, rather than nostalgia. Also, in these stories, men tend to be tougher, and it was very interesting that here it was the opposite.

Remember this youthful embarrassment?

— Yes, and it still happens to me when I meet someone I like. Even though you're older, you suddenly feel like a child and become a bit silly. It's a beautiful feeling, really.

You haven't seen Michelle Jenner since the series Paco's men. Were you excited about the reunion?

— It's nice to have the same lead roles, although the audience will be surprised by the position we play from. But for me, working with Michelle is a gift, because she's a friend of mine. I've known her since I was little, even before the series, from the time when we were doing advertising together in Barcelona. We were saying a few days ago that our careers have gone hand in hand. We started almost at the same time, and we're one of the lucky few who are still working. I love you very much, Michelle.

Before Olga Osorio, the last director who had directed you was Mar Targarona in The photographer of MauthausenDo you see differences between men and women in management?

— In the love story directed by Olga, yes, because of the beautiful and special vision that she gives to the female character of Michelle. But in technical matters of direction, no. I think it is the same. In fact, Mar and Olga, apart from being directors, are authentic film teachers. They know a lot, and it was very interesting to listen to them during the breaks in filming. I would really like to work with Mar again, because I have a very special affection for her. The photographer of Mauthausen.

If there is one thing that characterizes your career, it is your interpretive versatility. Do you struggle to avoid being labeled?

— Rather, it's because otherwise I get bored of myself. I can't play a role that I've already played, because I would be disrespecting myself and the audience. I like to investigate, create characters and take risks. In the end, my education as an actor consists not only of the roles I play, but also of the films I watch. And I have been following the careers of Tom Hardy, Javier Bardem, Eduard Fernández and Matthew McConaughey for years. They are actors who take the plunge, and I am fascinated by it. This is what I expect from my career, even if I am sometimes right or wrong in taking risks.

Do you consider yourself a method actor?

— Yes I am. With Exhaust, my previous film, I did a complete immersion in the method. But the method in countries like the United States or France is more understood. In Spain, if you say you are a method actor, they consider you a freak. However, if the director lets me, I like to be called by the name of the character and not abandon it. Sometimes the way a film set works doesn't allow it, but I love it. If the project and the character require it, working from there is wonderful.

What values do you consider essential to navigate this industry?

— I believe in work. I consider myself a guy who tries to put his soul into everything he does. I am passionate when I am on a film set and I think about working, working and working. I recently directed my first film, My loneliness has wings, and I was very heavy and obsessive in all the processes. I think that if you make an effort and put love into it, you can live or try to live off whatever you want.