Álvaro de Juana is a Spanish actor that has years of experience on the acting world. He started officially at the theatre with 11 years old. After that he has tried his luck in cinema, shorts films, music videos and even voice acting.
He’s now well known by his fans for his character Didac on the Netflix show “Élite” but he has been part of more stories like “Amar es para siempre” or “Hit”.
He surely has dedicated his life to the performances, like you can see he has little more to try on. Although he has reached another level with his latest job on the streaming platform, Netflix, what will hopefully help him though his professional future life so we can have more of him soon.
JOGGER DENIM Black – Louis Alexander.
You began to be interested in the world of acting at a very early age. How did you become interested in acting?
I did my first TV commercial when I was one year old, my father was in advertising, and from a very young age I had a certain familiarity with cameras and film sets. It was when I was eight years old, when for the first time I realized that acting was something that really excited me.
I discovered it when my mother was reading me a story, so I told her, “I want to go to AN acting school, I want to do theater.” My parents have always supported me, and support me, one hundred percent.
JOGGER DENIM Blue – Louis Alexander.
Your first starring role came early on in the theater. How is it for an 11-year-old boy to play Simba in The Lion King?
It was an unforgettable experience. I have great memories of it. Getting out of school and going every week for two years to perform there in front of 1500 people was so exciting that I ended up falling in love with theater and acting.
I had a great time, it was like a “professional game”, and besides, I learned many values that I consider necessary for this profession and for life, such as that discipline and fun can go hand in hand.
In 2019 you started in television in Vota Juan and Amar es para siempre. What is it like to get started in television? What advice would you give to someone who wants to get started?
Television, and theater, require different techniques. When it comes to working in one media or the other, things change.
In addition, each project has its own code and it is important to know how to identify what the director is asking for, to use your intuition, and to intuition, and jump into the pool. Something very positive about interpreting is that you can always improve, dig deeper, and be in a constant state of learning.
All the examples can be found on the street, because each person is different, and it’s about making the characters human. So I think my advice would be to be very observant.
JOGGER DENIM Blue – Louis Alexander.
In Luimelia your character, Manolín, is a singer and you had to record a song. Would you be interested in music at a professional level?
Hahaha. That song was a kind of joke from the script of the the series, which the viewers liked a lot. Music is one of my passions. I spend most of my time both listening to it and making it. I love to play the guitar, the piano, sing, compose songs. My friends and family encourage me to get them out. Up until now I’ve been focused on acting professionally, but probably in the future I will get the songs out.
In addition to acting, you have experience in the world of dubbing in roles such as Kion, from Lion Guard or Nate, but you also played Mowgli in The Jungle Book. What is it like to have the privilege of dubbing a figure that is part of so many people’s childhood and, surely, of your own?
I feel lucky for that, I keep it with great affection. Going to the movies, with your family, and hearing your voice in characters like Mowgli is a gift. Sometimes I’ve woken up hearing the voice of when I was younger, on television, because there was an episode on. You don’t get used to that… hahaha
JOGGER DENIM Blue – Louis Alexander.
You have done film, television, dubbing and even music. Is there anything you have yet to try? What project would you repeat without asking?
Amar es para siempre, is a series that has been on the air in Spain for many years. I have had the privilege of being there for two seasons and it’s been a place where I’ve grown a lot, and they have taken wonderful care of me. It’s a pleasure to work with them.
No doubt you have not stopped working, but what do you like to do in your free time?
As I said before, I love playing instruments, singing, composing. I also like to do sports, from time to surfing, playing paddle tennis… I like to read, go to the movies, traveling…
Do you have an actor or director of reference with whom you would love to work with on a project?
Yes, Woody Allen, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Tarantino, Javier Bardem, Antonio Banderas, Javier Guiérrez… there are countless actors and directors I would love to work with and learn as much as I can from them.
In the 6th season you joined the elite cast, what is it like to work for Nellix? Do you feel more pressure than in TV projects?
Nellix is a great platform, and it gives a lot of visibility. When it comes to working, I try not to think about the number of people who might be watching it, because that takes my mind off my work. I would go crazy if I thought that millions and millions of people are watching me while I’m filming a scene.
How would you say you are similar to and different from your character, Didac?
Didac is a boy with a great scale of values, and for him it is very important to do things very well, to always look for justice and to always help. I feel identified with that,
I always try to do good. However, Didac martyrs himself much more than I do, in case things don’t go exactly as he thinks they should, even when it’s not his responsibility.
What are your current aspirations? What would be your next step?
To build a character very distinct to me. It is very enriching as an actor to face challenges. With each character you can learn many new things, and above all that’s what I’m most interested in: to keep learning.
CREDITS:
Director: Alejandro Bernal
Photographer: Juan Bedoya
Photography assistant: Victor Bedoya
Makeup and hairdressing: Andrea Madruga, Paula Casamayor
Styling: Evelyn Zambrano
Filmaker 1: Eva Sánchez
Filmaker 2: María Isabel
Edition: María Ascanio Coll
Text and interview: Gabriel Sánchez
Special thanks to: Ayuntamiento de Villaviciosa de Odón Y Casa Palacio Manuel Godoy
