Galician Luis Tosar (Cospeito, Lugo, 1971) is already a major actor of Spanish cinema and has given great performances in roles similar to those in his ‘films’.Sunny Mondays’, ‘I give you my eyes’ and ‘Cell 211’. talking about three awarded with Goya has been released for over 25 years a full 90! Instead, the series seems hard to join the glittering bandwagon. With one recent and famous exception: “Midas Favorites (Netflix)”. He says it’s more about the cinema. Even as a consumer. But this time he couldn’t refuse because Netflix’s offer, ‘Up to the sky: series‘ was supposed to give more scope to Don Rogelio, the leader of the criminal gang in the movie – the piercing stare that his bushy and characteristic eyebrows give him that piercing stare – whose greatest desire is to become a respected businessman. And that he suffered like any father when he saw his daughter start flying alone.
He’s not a regular in the series, but of course he couldn’t say no to it.
It was inevitably tied to the story anyway. The patient had attended el cielo, Rogelio was present as such, and obviously that connection was already there. So when the opportunity arose to do the show, the truth is I didn’t think much of it. It seemed like a very natural way to me. It’s the same thing that happened to Daniel Calparsoro and screenwriter Jorge Guerricaechevarría when they were creating from the movie. It was an opportunity to delve a little deeper into Rogelio, who remains a more stereotypical character with little opportunity to explain. In the series, we had the opportunity to make it much more streamlined.
“I never had much time to get involved in TV projects”
And why don’t you agree with more: you didn’t stop filming for a single year since 1998, in some cases up to seven years, due to lack of time, or are you not interested?
I like making movies more because they are stories that begin and end. And as a spectator in general. But it is also a fact that I never had enough time to take part in television projects. Years ago I did almost nothing on television because the commitments required in the past were also very extensive. You had to make 13 episodes or already commit to two seasons of 13 episodes each. And it always seemed like a very long stretch of time to me.
Now this is changing.
Yes, what’s happening today is that there are all kinds of formats on the platforms. Some are taller and others shorter but usually shorter so one can plan for it in a more manageable way.
Tell me about Rogelio. He says it’s stereotyped. Would you like to develop it further?
I wanted to explain more. To better understand where he came from, why he was ruled the way he was ruled, what kind of gangster character he was, what kind of gang these people represent. A very familiar underworld, very close to people we might know, but we don’t have the opportunity to know much about their lives.
“‘Hasta el cielo: the underworld of la serie is so close to the people we know they could be”
It could be our neighbor.
They are men from here who are much more domesticated, much closer to us than those historically featured in other cinematographies we consume so much. With the evolution counted in this series, it’s time to tell more about ourselves in a more compact, deeper way.
It is not surprising, however, that a criminal is a loving grandfather caring for his grandchild. This humanity is disturbing.
Clear. Humanity is in the nature of every human being. It’s obvious what I’m saying, but it is. A human does not stop being human to become a gangster or a cop. You can tell the story of one and the other, and everyone has a life. They will have an activity to which they are devoted, but otherwise they will have a life that will in some cases look familiar, as in the case of Rogelio.
That it’s not a bad guide.
That was one of the most important things Dani (Calparsoro) told me. “He can’t look like a gangster,” he said. , he’s the bad guy!” but someone you can meet. He’s also very keen on trying to legalize his image, so to speak. The ideal would be for his business to become legal while maintaining his power and that level of control. But of course, it’s that easy to do. not.
“Rogelio likes his daughter to be like this, but it also touches her balls a bit”
His once widowed daughter Sole (Asia Ortega) wants to run the business alone. You don’t seem to like it. What’s behind it? Do you want to protect it, are you proud of your determination, or are you afraid that you will fly solo and become a rival?
All this happens to Rogelio. Like all parents. They want to protect their children, they do not want them to leave their protective wings, but children will inevitably do the opposite of what the father thinks, in principle. And in the case of the very strong and “forward” Sole, he will try to get his share of the pie. I think Rogelio is proud because he likes his daughter to be like this but at the same time it worries him and it hurts him a little bit. He’s asserting himself as a competitor and trying to take his share of the territory, which he doesn’t like much for an ambitious and controlling man like Rogelio.
You have to understand to embody your character, but you don’t justify it, do you?
You never have to justify it, I never agreed with that. There are characters I play but I don’t justify it. Come on, they seem unfair to me.
For example, I think of the abusive husband in ‘I’m giving you my eyes’ or the uncomfortable doorman in ‘While you’re sleeping’…
My obligation as an actor is to understand, see and embody their causes. And as in the case of Rogelio. I’m not justifying what he’s doing, it seems to me an absolute mistake. But I’m trying to understand why it commits these actions. For example, a corrupt politician may be outraged by his actions, but I understand that he will have a family and his children will love him just as they would love him. This world is like that.
The series ends with a very clear finale. It brings a new season. Is there still much Rogelio to discover?
Yes, there is a lot. But right now there is only this.