The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent actor Ricard Balada shares with us how it is to be a member of The Actors Home platform, who inspired him lately.
FM42: Mr. Ricard, which movie changed your life the most?
All movies of “The Lord of the Rings” and “Harry Potter”. These films opened my eyes to the infinite possibilities of the imagination and opened the doors to another of my passions, reading. I was so fascinated with these worlds of magic and fantasy that, during my childhood and adolescence, I read all the books of the two sagas. Since then I can’t stop reading books and watching films, they have changed my life.
FM42: Is it easy to direct you? Do you argue with your directors?
Yes, my aim is to adapt as much as possible to the directions I am given. We actors are channels of communication and we are at the service of the story – the director is the only person who has the overall vision of the story. We are a piece in a giant puzzle so we have to blindly trust his vision, be open and adapt as much as possible to each project and each artistic process. Work on knowing yourself deeply to intuit what you may need in each process to be your best version – if you don’t find it in the team, seek help from external professionals to elevate your work.
I do believe that the more work you bring from home and the more depth and layers you have found in the character, the more knowledge you will have and the easier it will be to adapt to the directions you are asked to take. I always try to create an honest and respectful communication channel with the director where I can express my doubts or opinions.
FM42: Actors sometimes speak about how tough it is to leave certain roles behind after they’ve played them. How do you experience jumping from character to character?
l totally agree. I guess it depends on how long you’ve been doing that character and how far away it is from you. At the beginning of my career I was in a theater company for several years where we did a lot of plays and 2/3 or 4 characters per play, the more you differentiated them (in terms of voice and body construction) the easier it was to get in and out.
Another more recent experience was in a film where I had to play Dalí in his youth, it was difficult to build the character and find myself there. It wasn’t until I went worked with costume, make-up and hairdressing departments that we found him.
That’s when I realized I had to trust, it’s teamwork and the character was already there, I didn’t have to do anything because of all the previous work done – only to let it go. Weeks after the shooting, I still had a few Dalí’s looks in my eyes.
FM42: Who has been inspiring you lately?
The one and only Pedro Pascal. Not only for the variety of roles and genres in which he has worked, but also for his charisma and how he fills all his characters with fascinating humanity. I had the opportunity to meet him on a shoot, and he is one of the best people and colleagues I have ever met, I learnt a lot from him. I can’t wait to see Gladiator 2!
FM42: Why is it good to be part of The Actors Home platform?
Because you are part of an active international community of actors and actresses and it makes you feel more powerful and less alone. As well as feedback and support from your colleagues, it is full of online events with top industry professionals with advice, tools and workshops on how to internationalise your career.
FM42: And what is next for you?
I have a pending release of the movie about Dalí that I mentioned before, a documentary from the UK and a Spanish TV series. On the other hand, right now I am working on improving my English and learning to get rid of my accent so I can play characters beyond my nationality. Working with my new US manager along with the UK agent has multiplied my international opportunities, so I’m focused on giving my best in every single audition, adapting to each market and enjoying every moment and step of the process.
Cover photo: Milena Arsenić
