The ambiguity Sometimes when I read a script I have a very clear idea of who is the good guy, the bad guy, where is the conflict about what he wants to explain. And, in this sense, Suro surprised and dislocated me, because it constantly turned the characters and the idea that one has about them. It also has something that I really like as a viewer, and that is that they make me feel uncomfortable, that they make me think about things, doubt myself. And when I read it, I felt all that, I judged the male character, the female character, I hated them, I loved them, I criticized them, and then I criticized myself as a viewer and a citizen when talking about certain topics such as class consciousness, racism or the power hierarchy.
The film poses a subversion between female and male roles, to what extent does it break the stereotype that women are emotional and men are rational?
I think it brings up something very interesting and that is how power roles in intimate relationships have changed at the same time as the role of women in society has. The labels that we have been responsible for putting on the genres for so long no longer make sense and have done so much harm… and at this point the man finds himself looking for his place, which is what happens to the character of Cork. She’s in charge, she owns the estate, and he has to feel useful because, deep down, masculinity is wounded.
She is usually associated with strong female roles, especially since “Antidisturbios”, is she comfortable with this?
I guess it has always happened, again the issue of labels. Now I’m “ready”. Imagine, now in Reina Roja I play a character who has an IQ of 242, absolute madness. What this allows me is to invent the character, because I don’t know anyone like that, and build it through internal monologues that are in my head so that I can reflect it through the eyes. I have always thought that very rational people have a lot of words in their minds that do not allow them to access their emotions. This whole process entertains me a lot, but if I’m honest, I’d like to play a character where I didn’t have control, for which I didn’t have to think, just let myself go.
In «Suro» there is a final scene of catharsis in which the character explodes, what was it like to shoot it?
I was very happy shooting it because it was like a performance, nobody knew what I was going to do, not even me. My character is like a pressure cooker that eventually explodes and she does it through a vomit of anger, which is also not usually associated with the female character, and I found that very powerful.
The script of “Cork” dislocated me because of how it constantly turns all its characters around
Do you think that the relationship between the protagonists could be defined as toxic?
For years I’ve been trying to understand, or create, what a definition of toxic is for me, and I still don’t know. I’ve experienced toxic relationships, but I don’t know what causes them. I guess in the end it’s a relationship where mutual respect is lost, where there’s a wound and a pain because a series of barriers have been crossed and everything blurs, both you and this idea of love, that it becomes fear. If we give validity to this, indeed, Suro’s couple would be toxic, because they are two people who are afraid of losing what they have believed in and who take refuge in silence. And not talking about it, not communicating with a partner is the end.
In addition to the couple’s relationships, the film also provides a look at immigration that is completely different from what is usually common in Spanish cinema.
I also love how the film moves from one thing to another, from an intimate story to a social drama. A lot of people tell me it’s about racism in the rural world. No, my dears, it’s about racism in general, about the racist look that all privileged white people have, it’s about prejudice, about how we build a society by stepping on the most disadvantaged rungs.
How can privileges be combated?
It’s very difficult, I’m the first to judge myself because I might buy something from a big clothing chain or some other place where I’m not sure if they exploit the workers. But we live in a society that leads us to an atrocious capitalism, that instigates us to have more and more. It is necessary to rethink a little about all this.
Does she feel like a privileged actress?
Before doing the Antidisturbios series I had very rarely been able to choose roles that really interested me. I come from a humble family and I worked for food. Then I was lucky enough to be able to choose and I did incredible and brave plays, I went to France to shoot a series… I try to be connected and feel fulfilled with my profession. In any case, many people ask me, do you think Antidisturbios has changed your life? And I say, no kidding, because what has changed my life is everything I’ve done, before, until I got there.