The two actors star in the Malaga Film Festival in the drama ‘La buena suerte’ by Gracia Querejeta, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Rosa Montero.
Things that connect Hugo Silva (Madrid, 47 years old) and Megan Montaner (Huesca, 37 years old): a past in the universe of Álex de la Iglesia, a career (and fame) born from television series, and an effort to advance like little ants in Spanish audiovisuals. They starred in a film in 2014 (Dioses y perros), and now a second feature film, La buena suerte, directed by Gracia Querejeta, based on Rosa Montero’s novel, the story of an architect who suddenly gets off a train in a village and searches for a house to hide from a shadow that grips him. Silva plays that man, and Montaner is his new downstairs neighbor, a bright Raluca, who has also had to deal with her own problems, as confirmed by the scar on her eye. The film has already passed through the Málaga Film Festival before its commercial release on June 6.
Silva and Montaner didn’t rehearse much. “We had several meetups to get organized. Since we had already acted together, we knew each other enough to build from there,” says Silva. “It depends on the projects, right?” Montaner adds. “Exactly, every one is different. I like rehearsals with improvisation, those directors who complete the script with those improvisations, and when it’s time to shoot, they’ve already incorporated that,” he finishes.
The decade of age that separates the actor from the actress means that Silva has witnessed the upheaval in Spanish audiovisuals firsthand. He started in Al salir de clase in 2000, then starred in Paco y Veva, and in 2005, he broke through in Los hombres de Paco, the three television series that marked his beginnings. “Today everything has changed. Starting with the time dedicated to production, which is getting shorter; moving on to the costs, because there’s less money, and ending with the fact that for those two reasons, there’s much more being produced. The technique has also evolved, and I think it’s for the better. Another detail: TV is being recorded in a much more cinematic way, and I love that. More changes: now TV channels are these big monsters, giant international companies, and what you do is a product of these huge channel-platforms. However, I think there’s a very brave creation in Spain,” he breaks it down.
How do actors navigate this stormy sea? “By trusting in your own work and in the work of those who lead you,” Montaner says. Silva nods: “And with detachment. You give your best. You’re fully committed to the project. You enjoy it, at least in my case, the journey. But once it’s filmed and they’re editing it, even if your face is on the poster, you know that’s not your movie. For mental health, I do try to distance myself quite a bit. You have to accept when things don’t turn out how you would have liked and have the cold blood to say: ‘It’s fine, man. This isn’t it.’” Montaner, who has nodded along to her co-star’s statement, explains: “Don’t let it affect you. Do your work as best as you can, and others will do theirs.”
Both begin to share moments when they thought they hadn’t been “sharp enough.” And yet, “with just two more seconds of the shot or a change of look, it rises; because movies end in editing.” In fact, Silva says this happens more often than the opposite. Montaner remembers: “Suddenly, you have this feeling of thinking that you don’t know what you’ve done, or how the audience is going to digest that senseless sequence, and finally, it has gained strength and momentum that surprises you.”
Montaner also started in television with La pecera de Eva in 2010. Later, she would appear in El secreto de Puente Viejo and Sin identidad, though she hasn’t worked as much in film as Silva, who was nominated for a Goya last year for Un amor. Why those few appearances from the actress from Huesca? “I don’t know, honestly. You should ask the producers,” she says. “Although in television, I’ve had very good roles.” “That’s what matters, the character is good. I’m no longer concerned if it’s film or TV, or whether it’s the lead or a supporting role. I focus on what’s offered, on the work and the commitment,” Silva continues. “To act, you have to get your hands dirty,” Montaner concludes. “For sure,” confirms the Madrid native.
The «getting your hands dirty» part will come up again when Montaner is asked about Álex de la Iglesia, with whom she starred in the series 30 monedas. “I’m into the mud, and Álex creates chaos; I love moving through that creative situation. In fact, he reigns there. If you take away the explosion of stimuli, he doesn’t produce.” Silva, who has worked with De la Iglesia three times, has always declared his love for him. “I’m fascinated by the artistic mess he can create at any given moment.” Montaner laughs: “When things go according to plan, he makes sure to sabotage them.”
In La buena suerte, the shadow that grips Silva’s character’s heart originates from the violence caused by his son. In real life, both actors have two children. Do they worry about it? “More than that,” Montaner begins, “I’m scared they’ll have to submit to the acceptance of other kids, to likes.” For Silva, a mobile phone leads to “domestication of the brain, but not just in teenagers, everyone. On one side, there’s the need for acceptance; on the other side, there’s the dopamine that comes from having your mind hooked to a screen. Suddenly, you return to reality, maybe without so much stimulation, and life can seem very boring. It’s complicated. Another thing that worries me a lot is frivolity, because a frivolous society is easy to manipulate.” As the actress adds: “It hypnotizes, the brain falls asleep. Sometimes we forget that life is complex, like the characters in La buena suerte.”
By the way, when did they realize that La buena suerte is a western in rural Spain, with the stranger who arrives by train, the woman who has protected herself from other gunmen, and the old wise man, played by Miguel Rellán, who will stay in the dusty village watching cowboys come and go? There’s even a kind-hearted sheriff-civil guard. Both start laughing: “Right now.”
