Omar Ayuso is returning to theatre in La forma humana, the new work by director and playwright Pablo Messiez. The 28-year-old Madrid actor, who became globally known a decade ago through the Netflix series Élite, appears alongside José Juan Rodríguez, Cris Blanco and Rebeca Hernando. The production has been two years in preparation, and Messiez created the roles specifically for the four performers. Described as a reflection on the body, image and relationships, La forma humana premieres on 14 November at the Temporada Alta festival in Girona and opens at Nave 10 in Madrid on 20 November. Ayuso said that in this work, in which he plays a gay actor, he is more himself than ever.
Asked about a line in the play that contrasts sex and love, Ayuso said he connects deeply with the idea. He described love and sex as distinct things that can sometimes go together, saying sex with love exists but sex without love also exists and is not necessarily less emotional. He described sex as a particular activity, a game in which love can sometimes fit. Asked whether he had found his own “dark core” while preparing, he said that is not something he shares, though intimacy might be shared, just not in an interview.
On applause, Ayuso said he has felt accepted and loved from the start. He recalled co-star Rebeca Hernando telling him that the work should be done to like oneself rather than to please those watching. He said habit, inheritance and learning complicate matters, as they do with sex and love. Reflecting on a decade of fame since Élite, he said he does not want to care about remaining “the boy of the moment” but sometimes does. He said he does not genuinely fit that way of understanding life, work and himself, and that the label can carry negative connotations. He called the industry very classist, saying that coming from Élite, doing fashion shoots or being active on social media can all be viewed somewhat negatively, but that as he gets older he cares less.
On social media, Ayuso said he likes the platforms and liked them before acting. He acknowledged vanity and a desire to show himself, seek approval and connect with others. He said followers can matter for getting a project, but that this has not happened to him, noting he has 3.4 million Instagram followers. He added that social media has sometimes worked against him.
On mental health, Ayuso said he suffered episodes of depression and anxiety and continues to attend therapy. He described himself as very sensitive and said he needs that support to understand what is happening to him, why he does things and what brings him closer to or further from calm. He said he has noticed an improvement and that he used to be afraid to live but is not anymore. He said the fear began to recede when he faced and named the things that frightened him, and when he accepted that he is vulnerable and erratic as well as wonderful and very likable.
Asked about actors being expected to comment on everything, Ayuso said each person does what they want. He said he is not a politician, social worker, lawyer, police officer or sociologist and that there are questions he cannot answer. He noted he had spent recent weeks promoting El Castillo, a series about trafficking, a complex subject. He said interviews do not favour reflection on very complex issues, and that he can make a mistake with friends but cannot allow himself to do so in an interview. He said he hates the word “megaphone” but that each person has to choose what to use it for.
On the far right’s use of terms such as “remigration” and “national priority”, Ayuso said his father is Moroccan and that he takes it personally, becoming angry and upset. He described such politics as bullying, going after the weakest, and called it very parochial and very sad. He said he is also saddened by the phrase “if they come to work, fine”, as if people were only worthy because of the work they do. Referring to Torre-Pacheco and Ceuta, he said the treatment of migrants showed a gravely dehumanising level, with people described in the media and on social networks as barbarians or invaders rather than human beings. He said he has another concept of invasion: what “we” did in Morocco was probably more of an invasion, and so are vulture funds that raise rents for people living here. He said the issue is ultimately one of classism.
On housing, Ayuso said he is not among those affected but knows many people who are suffering, including his sister and friends. He said he is privileged but has not lost his class consciousness and does not think he ever will. He called it frightening that the bare minimum has become a luxury. He lives in rented accommodation and does not own a home; he could have bought one but did not, and now cannot. He said he earned a lot of money when he was very young but did not know what to do with it. He called housing the biggest drama of his generation and the biggest failure of the left.
Asked whether he was disappointed with the left, he said no, because he long ago understood that the political class does not represent him. He cited Maruja Torres’s idea that people should vote in self-defence rather than out of love, and said he sees politicians that way. He said seeing the Puerta del Sol encampment and his politically engaged, awake and energetic generation restored his faith in non-party politics, in the politics of the people. He argued that in one week in Sol, protesters achieved more advances than a progressive government had in eight years, and said people have been isolated and made to think they have so little power that they have forgotten the street is theirs.
Ayuso said he will vote on 29 November and hopes everyone will, expressing concern about the advance of the far right. He also voiced concern about the use of violence, saying it is spreading and that violent political campaigns appear to work. He said he was at Puerta del Sol on the afternoon Núcleo Nacional was due to come and described a feeling of sadness and terror. He said the protest was a claim for a right for everyone and that he does not understand the human impulse to disrupt a peaceful protest for a common good.
Sources: El País Cultura.