IN CONVERSATION WITH ÁLVARO RICO

interview by JANA LETONJA

Álvaro Rico has steadily built a career defined by range, precision, and an instinct for emotionally complex roles. After training at Madrid’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RESAD), he first gained international recognition as Polo in Netflix’s Élite, a performance that quickly positioned him as one of Spain’s most compelling young actors. Since then, he has continued to expand his body of work across television and film, collaborating with acclaimed directors and taking on increasingly layered characters. Now, with the release of El homenaje on SkyShowtime, Álvaro steps into a new chapter, starring alongside Eusebio Poncela, Luis Tosar, and Elsa Pataky in a project that further cements his place as a leading presence in contemporary Spanish storytelling.

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El homenaje marks your next project. What initially drew you to this project?

The director and creator of this series, Sergio Canovas, told me that this project originated from the need to give Eusebio Poncela one final audiovisual tribute. Getting to know Sergio was to enter a crime fiction genre with nuances reminiscent of Agatha Christie, and I was eager to collaborate with him and with the extensive, wonderful cast of colleagues that this series has.

What can you tell us about your character and his role within the story?

My character is Lorenzo Novak, the youngest son in the family. He is a young exile with problems with alcohol and drugs who will return home for his father’s eightieth birthday, where he will seek to heal the wounds of the past and will also uncover his family’s secrets.

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What was it like working alongside actors like Eusebio Poncela, Luis Tosar, and Elsa Pataky?

I believe this is the greatest gift of this project, the opportunity to work with colleagues I admire, whose work I have watched since I was a child. Now to work beside them and have the chance to learn from them, with so much generosity and commitment, is something I am grateful for.

How would you describe the tone of El homenaje compared to your previous work?

There is a bit of everything in this story. It centers on the world of crime fiction, with a touch of detective elements.

After projects like Élite and The Gardener, how are you choosing roles at this stage of your career?

I strive to surround myself with stories and characters that I find interesting to tell for reasons that resonate with me, and, of course, that I enjoy portraying, and that allow me to play, experiment, and learn from the colleagues around me.

How did your training at RESAD shape the kind of actor you are today?

RESAD was my school, my playground. It was the space where I could make mistakes, where I had my teachers. It was fundamental for the actor I am today, and because I come from theatre, from the stage, I have always felt that the audiovisual world has embraced me and, in a way, adopted me, for which I will be eternally grateful.

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The Gardener became a major global success. How did that experience impact you?

I remember it with great affection. It was a very special project for me, where I had the time and the capacity to prepare it in a very artisanal way, with a group of people around me, from the creator Miguel Sáez Carral, producer José Manuel Lorenzo, and directors Mikel Rueda and Rafa Montesinos, who helped bring to life a truly very particular character. I have fond memories of it, and I hope experiences like that will be repeated.

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You’re about to begin your first international project in Uruguay. What does that step mean to you?

I hope to tell you, with joy, how things were upon my return from my journey. I am now excited and also thrilled to begin a new adventure that means not only a new project but also becomes a personal experience, since it is the first time I undertake a project completely outside of Spain.

What challenges come with balancing visibility and staying grounded as an actor?

My energy is focused on doing my job well, trying to be a good professional, to develop my career in the best possible way, and also to enjoy my craft. I do not think about how I should be seen or what I must do to be seen in a certain way. I simply try to be as authentic as possible and, as I say, strive to do my job well.

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How important is it for you to take creative risks at this point in your career?

You always take a creative risk starting a new project, with whoever it may be. I always have the sense that I am jumping into the void. But that is what keeps me alert and what makes me grow as an actor and as a person.

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tanktop and trousers FIORUCCI

Outside of acting, are there other creative areas you’d like to explore?

I have always thought that at some point in my life I would love to shoot my own film and direct it. Who knows.

What kind of stories feel most meaningful to you right now?

I am not thinking about anything concrete. What interests me is having the opportunity to read a good script, a good character, and to be given the confidence to be able to do it.

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TEAM CREDITS:

talent ALVARO RICO
photography INES SANTOS x FujiFilm
styling DANIELA PUELLO & JUAN LUIS ASCANIO
grooming JESUS DE PAULA
photography assistant MICHELLE
styling assistant RENATA ITO
production ARIADNA IGLESIAS x Timeless CS
retouching TENDER RETOUCH at OHM ESPACIO
BTS MICHELLE
location OHM ESPACIO
editor TIMI LETONJA
interview JANA LETONJA
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN