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By Iker Veiga
BASTA: Tell us about your background: When did you get into acting?
ÁLVAREZ: I grew up in the Spanish countryside with my siblings, surrounded by nature and endless room to explore. I was homeschooled for a few years, and then went to an alternative school. It's a long story, but in short, I grew up far from conventional social norms. When I entered high school, I remember feeling a little lost because I didn’t quite understand how things worked, and how interactions were supposed to unfold. I’ve always been deeply curious about people and how we work. Why we are the way we are, how perspectives shift, how emotions take shape.
When I started studying acting in a small theater on the Mediterranean coast, it gave me a way to step into different realities, to understand people from the inside out. And from there, I just kept searching.
As for perfecting my craft—Dios… hahaha. It’s an ongoing process of observing, learning, and letting yourself be affected. The beautiful thing about acting is that, in the end, it’s just about being alive. In a way, everything that happens to you adds to your ability to empathize. It’s funny how something as simple as being alive can feel so complicated.
B: What do you draw inspiration from?
Á: I’d say I draw inspiration from the situations I find myself in, whether they’re my own or just moments I witness as a spectator. It always comes back to the same thing: I have this intense curiosity about what’s true, what’s authentic, about people’s commitment to their own identity.
I also listen to a lot of music, like, a lot. Sometimes I feel like I spend more hours of the day with music playing than without it. Music pulls me into this kind of emotional journey, and when that mixes with just walking around, stumbling upon certain situations or people, I feel like I get these emotional highs (like, full-on trips).
B: How would you describe your acting style?
Á: Uh, intuitive. Grounded. I try to be as present as possible, to let go of control and just see what happens. I’m really drawn to what feels real—nothing forced, nothing performative. If anything, I probably hold back more than I should just to avoid anything that feels fake. I’d rather be too subtle than do something that doesn’t feel honest.
B: In what ways does acting challenge how you understand and use your body and voice?
Á: It forces you to listen—to your body, your breath, your impulses. Sometimes, the smallest shift in posture says more than words. It’s about being aware but not self-conscious.
It’s funny because, in a way, you have to learn certain things, agree to certain "rules," just so you can eventually be free and let things happen. When it comes to the body and voice, Stanislavski used to say, "the external affects the internal." You have to play with that—how a certain posture can make you feel a certain way, or how raising your voice on an impulse can suddenly unlock an entire emotional journey.
B: What are some challenges you have experienced either filming “Karmadame” or any other project?
Á: Each project comes with its own challenges. Sometimes it’s the physical demands, sometimes it’s staying emotionally open for long stretches of time. Filming is unpredictable: you have to be adaptable, present, and OK with things not going as planned, which, for me, is really difficult.
The funny thing is, you have to let go of the idea of it turning out the way you want in order to allow it to actually happen. It’s like holding onto something too tightly, if you do there’s no room for it to grow or take shape. But when you let it be, when you allow it to move through you, that’s when the magic happens.
In “Karmadame,” it was quite a challenge to have such a deep and specific story and convey it by creating entire universes within a gaze. Everything had to be in the eyes, in the presence, in the breath. I also ran into some technical challenges. For instance, I had to ride an old motorcycle that refused to shift into third gear, and then there was the scene where I had to get into a lake with lukewarm and murky water¡. It required a lot of mental strength and not being too squeamish about things.
B: What type of projects excite you? What can we expect from you in the future?
Á: Anything that feels raw and human. I’m drawn to stories that stay with you long after they’re over. I’m especially intrigued by characters who have a lot happening at once—emotionally deep, layered, and full of contradictions. Those kinds of roles feel the most alive to me.
Looking ahead, I’m growing, pushing myself, and stepping deeper into this craft, crossing paths with incredible people and with some exciting projects on the horizon. Just wait! There’s so much more ahead.
Interview by Iker Veiga for Basta Magazine
February 2025