IN CONVERSATION WITH CARLA DIAZ
interview by JANA LETONJA
Spanish actress Carla Díaz will soon be seen in films ‘8’ and ‘Les jeux sont faits’, a French film with German co-production. She has previously starred in ‘Paquita Salas’ by Netflix, ‘Madres. Amor y vida’ by Prime Video, ‘Élite’ by Netflix and ‘La Mesias’ by Movistar+, among others.
Carla, tell us all about how your career in acting began.
I started acting pretty young ,when I was a child. I remember the first time I arrived on set was to shoot a commercial for a chocolate brand, something simple where I didn’t even have a line. I was only 9 years old and I remember thinking I wanted to do that my whole life. I still think that now.
Fans have seen you in many projects over the years, but which one would you say impacted your career the most so far?
Well, obviously ‘Élite’ has been the project with the most impact I’ve ever had. I will never know to what extent it impacted my career, but I feel so grateful for having the opportunity to play Ari. It was a special project to do and it gave me beautiful things.
How exciting was getting that role and what excited you the most about it?
Ari was a very fun character to play. She’s so different from me, but I think that’s what I like the most about acting sometimes. She had a complicated mind and it was very fun for me to get into it and try to understand her.
top & shorts LES FLEURS
earrings D’HEYGERE
Is there a series that you’re a fan of and would love to star on?
A huge dream my whole life has been to work in a Tarantino movie. Unfortunately, I’ve heard he’s already about to do his last movie, so I think I’m already too late, but anyway, my list of favorite directors is long so I’m not worried about it.
Before acting, you were a dancer. How does dance make you feel and which is your favorite dance style?
My parents are dance professors and I’ve been dancing in their academy my whole childhood and adolescence. There, it was the first time I was on a stage and it’s true that the adrenaline I felt dancing is something very special that I’ve never felt in the same way in my life. I think dancing is kind of a language without words. I couldn’t say which style I prefer the most, but probably flamenco and ballet were my favorites when I used to dance.
How do dance and acting compare as mediums of art to you?
In both disciplines, your body is your only instrument to work with. Also, in both of them, you need to do a lot of preparation. But in the moment of performing, you just have to relax and enjoy it.
What kind of roles and projects would you like to explore next?
I’m a curious person and that makes me quickly interested in all kinds of characters, but as a viewer, I must confess I have a love for horror and gore. Anyway, any project where you find a good script and a director committed to the story and their vision is great. I think one of the things I like the most about acting is working as a team. When you’re on a set and you see all the people working so hard, focused and excited to do what they are doing, it is so beautiful. Sometimes it makes me feel like we’re children playing.
left:
headpiece & dress LES FLEURS
right:
skirt LES FLEURS
shoes MIISTA
Spanish productions are very successful at the moment. What makes you enjoy them the most as a viewer?
I think Spanish cinema has something so special that I have always loved, with its ‘costumbrismo’. We have incredible directors and actors. I would say there’s a lot of talent here. I’ve been a huge fan for a long time of many directors here, like Almodovar, Bayona, Julio Medem, Alex de la Iglesia, los Javis, Amenabar, Carlos Saura, Aranoa, Paco Plaza, Jaume Balagueró, Icíar Bollaín, Bigas Luna, Isabel Coixet, and Trueba.
Tell us more about your hobbies that you enjoy when you are not working.
Watching movies is one of my favorite activities of course, but I also love listening to music. In my house, there’s no time without music. I have millions of notebooks with drawings. I like to write too, and read. I ride horses twice a week, I go to the beach as much as I can and I love to travel.
Soon, we’ll be able to see you in films ‘8’ and ‘Les jeux sont faits’. What can you share with us about films at this point?
‘8’ is a Julio Medem movie. It’s been incredible for me to work with him because I’ve been admiring his work for years. ‘8CHO’ is a really special movie, it’s a love story between Adela and Octavio. 8 sequence shots, 8 different periods of time. I can’t say much more.
And ‘Les jeux sont faits’ is a German-French movie directed by Nele Mueller-Stöfen for Netflix. This has been my first time acting in another language, so I’m very excited about it. I can’t say anything about the plot yet, but the first time I read the script I thought this is going to be so fun. And it was.
dress LUDOVIC DE SAINT SERNIN
necklace AGAPORNIS
TEAM CREDITS:
talent CARLA DIAZ
photographer & retouch CARLOS VILlAJERO
stylist MARIA BERNARD
photography assistant CESCO RODRIGUEZ
lights & film ADOLFO CARCELLER
makeup & hair MIKY VALLÉS
creative producer JULIA NAVARRO
producer PEDOR CASTRO
production SUN SEA SANDS AGENCY
special thanks to BORIAL MANAGEMENT & BORJA VERA