Step by step, slowly but surely, Vicky Luengo is building a solid long-distance career right up to her role in the series. ‘riot gear’ made him one of the most powerful beings of his generation. After sitting at the table by the order of Alfredo Sanzol in the study Juan Mayorga’s ‘Golem’now immersed in the filming of the series “Red Queen” (adapted from bestseller Juan Gómez-Jurado) and premieres Mikel Gurrea’s first feature film ‘Suro’ that he gave life to a young woman who moved to Ampurdà with her partner (Pol López) after inheriting a cork oak estate that they were about to inherit. A change of scenery will trigger the emergence of both ideological and personal differences between the two.
What did you like most about the character and the proposal?
uncertainty Sometimes when I read a script, I see very clearly who is the good guy or who is the bad guy, and where the contradiction lies in what it is trying to convey. And in that sense, ‘Suro’ surprised and upset me because it constantly revolved around the characters and the idea one had about them. There is also something that I greatly appreciate as a viewer, and it makes me feel uncomfortable, it makes me think about certain things, doubt myself. When I read it, I felt all these, I judged, hated, loved, criticized the male character, the female character, and then as a spectator, as a citizen, I criticized myself while talking about certain issues. like class consciousness, racism or power hierarchy.
The film reveals a breakdown between feminine and masculine roles, to what extent does it break with the stereotype that women are emotional and men are rational?
I think this raises something very interesting, and it’s this shifting of the roles of power in intimate relationships as well as the role of women in society. The labels that we’ve been obliged to put on the genre for so long don’t make sense anymore and it has done so much damage… and that’s when the man finds himself searching for his place, that’s what happened to his ‘character’. Suro’. He’s the boss, he owns the farm, and he needs to feel useful because deep down, his manhood is hurt.
Especially since ‘Riot Gear’, you’re often associated with strong female roles, are you comfortable with that?
I guess it’s always happened, again it’s a matter of labels. I’m on the “list” now. Now imagine playing a totally insane character with an IQ of 242 in ‘Red Queen’. This allows me to invent the character because I don’t know anyone like that and I construct it with internal monologues in my head to reflect it with my own eyes. I’ve always thought that very reasonable people have a lot of words in their minds that don’t allow them access to their emotions. This whole process amuses me a lot, but to be honest, I would like to play a character that I don’t have control over, I don’t have to think about, and I let myself go with the flow.
There’s a final catharsis scene in ‘Suro’ where the character explodes, how was it shooting it?
I was very happy shooting it because it was like a performance, no one knew what to do, not even me. My character is like a pressure cooker that eventually explodes and does it with a vomit of anger, something that is not usually related to the character of the woman I find very powerful.
Do you think the relationship between the protagonists could be described as toxic?
I’ve spent years trying to figure out or create what the definition of toxic is for me, and I still don’t know. I’ve had toxic relationships but I don’t know what produces them. I think in the end a relationship where mutual respect is lost, a series of hurdles is overcome, there is hurt and pain and everything becomes blurry, both you and the idea of love, which turns into fear. They are two people who are afraid of losing and take shelter in silence. And not talking, not communicating with a partner is the end of it.
In addition to the couple’s relationship, the film also offers a look at an immigration issue that is completely far from the usual in Spanish cinema.
I also love that the movie turns from one thing to another, from a heartfelt story to a social drama. A lot of people tell me they’re interested in racism in the rural world. No, honey, it’s about racism in general, it’s about the racist view that all privileged whites have, it’s about prejudice, it’s about how we build a society by trampling on the most disadvantaged steps.
How can privileges be combated?
It’s hard, I’m the first to judge myself because maybe I’m buying something from a big clothing chain or some other place where I’m not sure they are exploiting workers. But we live in a society that leads us to a brutal capitalism, that encourages us to have more. All this needs to be rethought a bit.
Do you feel like a privileged player?
Before I made ‘Riot Control’, I was rarely able to choose roles that really interested me. I come from a humble family and worked for food. Then I had the chance to choose and played incredible and daring games, went to France to shoot a TV show… I’m trying to connect with my profession and feel complete. In any case, many people ask me, ‘Do you think Riot Gear has changed your life? And I say never, because what changed my life was everything I did until I got there.