His first works were on Galician television (‘Maridos e mulleres’, ‘Pedro Casares’), but popularity came with the series ‘Big hotel’, where the bad guy is. Then came the role of another ‘angel’, in Berlin’Money Robbery‘ and his fame spread throughout the world. Now netflix just came out prequel ‘Berlin’, in which his character is presented as a white-collar thief and love hunter. with Berlin, Pedro Alonso (Vigo, Pontevedra, 19781) shares his weakness for art and culture, but the actor has a spiritual component that works through meditation, allowing him to master this phenomenon without going crazy.
‘Berlin has little to do with ‘La casa de papel’.
It’s another series, another galaxy. If this were the metaverse, there might be a few ‘Berlins’ with common DNA, but they were in a different tone, in a different tone and style. As someone who paints a lot while working, I sometimes look at my painting from the outside and it has nothing to do with the energy of Berlin.
So how did you paint this series? If ‘La casa de papel’ was the ‘Picasso’ of the blue age…
For the first month of shooting, we were in an apartment in Paris and I covered the entire wall. Everything was much more colorful, with simpler lines and less information. Later when rolling the range was wider. I need to give this a real prelude, but there are moments of over-the-top comedy as well. More romance. But the man is a manipulator and an absolute, unspeakable emotional terrorist who truly believes in the purity of love. Stylistically it was very stimulating but extremely complex.
It’s easier to be the textbook bad, right?
There is nothing easy if you want to have soul. But this may seem easier… No one had foreseen a journey of style and tone: It gets younger, lighter, brighter… In terms of creative work, each cycle of the series is a different series. But the character remains exciting and gives me opportunities.
They resisted killing him in ‘La casa de papel’. He appeared in ‘flashbacks’, cultured, refined, hedonistic… This is how we see him in ‘Berlin’. It’s like a David Copperfield style thieves and love extravaganza.
Definitely. Sometimes I even surprise myself where it comes from to achieve moments of such beautiful quality. This is the paradox, the indecision of the character, which is part of the magic because you don’t see it coming.
That Berlin was a psychopath, but this one is very toxic. The danger continues.
People have a thing about making up for it. But he is sick! However, this does not eliminate the other values you have. That’s why it’s so narratively rich. You want to save Berlin and he put his foot down on your head (laughs).
“My character is an emotional terrorist who truly believes in the purity of love.”
Recording in Paris wasn’t a vacation, although it might seem like it, because the creators change everything. It is impossible to relax.
Let’s work like bastards! The way Álex (Pina) works is a lot of preparation, and when everything is set on fire, she jumps into action and of course makes radical changes.
This must be stressful and exciting at the same time.
Especially for the production team. Because something suddenly comes to your mind and it can be a complete drama. People live on the verge of heart attack. Since I’ve been with him for years, he asked a lot from me but he gave me a lot, I trust him very much. And then fiction showed me that when you say it’s impossible, an unexpected door appears. But yeah, I recorded on the bridge where Marlon Brando did that in ‘Last Tango in Paris.’ And on the street where Christopher Nolan shot the movie ‘Inception’. It is one of the most difficult cities in the world to shoot a movie in. And at this level. I am from the village and I said: This is completely a dream.
What did working with young people here give you?
My experiences have reminded me that a 9-year-old actor or actress can come in and get the show. In other words, income is available to a very limited extent. Don’t accept anything as it is. The truth is that you can have the tools to get your bearings, to deal less traumatic blows to yourself, to go further… I’ll stick to one thing he said on the Berlin champagne stage.
It’s pure Berlin. He is so sadistic…
(Laughs like Berlin). It gets errors from time to time. And the thing is, he’s looking for that early feeling and is willing to go to any lengths with toxicity and lies to feel it. Kill for this.
And for love. His obsession with a woman puts the robbery in jeopardy. And this is not the only one.
If with ‘La casa de papel’ Álex stole the Anglo-Saxon heist movies, we will steal the French mythology of romantic love. We will destroy the cliché of ‘in’ more romance once and for all. (laughs)
I was talking to him about the young squad, but with him is his friend from school, Tristán Ulloa.
I had a professional moment by performing with him at school. I played the scarecrow, he was cricket and conscience. Now we did the same. But it took us 37 years to work together.
This meeting must have had some emotional impact.
This was a real life spell blow. And to still survive professionally after so long, knowing how difficult this world is.
The magic is also when they sing ‘Felicità’ like Romina and Al Bano.
Almina and Robano… (laughs). I had never sung until ‘La casa de papel’. When I had the ‘Bella Ciao’ incident, I’m not one to call the writers, but I told them: “I’m not singing. I’m going to ruin this scene for you.” I was a person who didn’t even learn the chorus of songs. But with ‘Guantanamera’ I went a little higher and when ‘Ti amo’ came out I said: “I want to say this because this is going to be the soundtrack.” This time we already recorded in the studio. And we sang live at the premiere.
They are already a ‘boy band’.
The joke gets scary!
“The fame of ‘La casa de papel’ caught me at a good time, a moment of personal work”
You are a Renaissance man: act, paint, write…
These are tools that one creates to do things. Meditation was a great tool on the path to intuitiveness in my personal quest, painting is another. Like grandmothers with shoulder blades. They are my fetishes. It’s a way of channeling and it suits me very well.
And he wrote a book about a regression he made: He was a Roman.
Yes, and now I’ve directed a mini-documentary series that takes a brutal journey through Mexico’s ancient world. It is a search for connection from the grandmothers’ perspective, where there is respect for the forces of nature and the world.
Did meditation help you manage the fame of ‘La casa de papel’?
It caught me at a beautiful time where there was a lot of personal work. And I felt like I needed to keep my distance. I spent two years saying: He’s not that fat. But when I get to Bermuda, I don’t go through customs because there’s no need. This is so crazy. You must have attention and balance so that it does not overwhelm you. And I’ve been very diverse in my times: I have moments where I’m ‘on’, exposed, but then I disappear. I published a book, it’s in print… I did a lot of things. I kept as reasonable a balance as possible. Also for health.
What kind of therapy would be good for Berlin?
Berlin is a man of incredible talents. Funny, agile, cultured… But he has a shadow the size of a piano (Laughs). He has an ego big enough to eat anything.
I’m late to change it.
The problem is that he lives in fiction, which is a good place to go crazy. And fiction is made not to relax anyone, but to feel. It’s disgusting, but it has a narrative crème de la crème. We’ll probably have one drink with him, but not two.
And I was watching it.
(Laughs).