Maxi Iglesias has admitted on occasion that his physical appearance has conditioned the roles he has been offered throughout his career. “I read a study by Harvard University that good appearance in a job interview made 3 out of 4 people get that job and one out of four not. It depends on how you take it,” the actor admits to ABC. He made his film debut at the age of six in the film ‘La pistola de mi hermano’ (My Brother’s Gun) and since then he has not left the profession for a moment. He has more than 32 titles under his belt and now this Thursday at 10:45 pm on Antena 3 he premieres ‘Los artistas: primeros trazos’ (The Artists: First Strokes), an original series by the writer María Dueñas that comes to television to tell the story of two art scammers.
The actor is grateful for everything that has happened to him so far. “I have friends who do comedy and want to do thrillers and friends who do thrillers and want comedy. I am grateful for everything I have done because it is what has allowed me to continue growing and push me to explore unknown territories.” Even so, the actor admits that it is not easy. “There is a lot of prejudice and stigma, but I prefer to focus on the positive.”
Keeping your feet on the ground in an environment full of followers, flashes and red carpets is no easy task.Part of my job is to keep my feet on the ground. It’s my own management. What I try to do is work in my field and keep an eye on new trends. I don’t pay much attention to what people say about me, whether good or bad,” he says. Social networks help bring the content of a series to more people, but at the same time, criticism can also grow. “A few years ago everything wasn’t so raw and we didn’t jump around or point out something that didn’t sit well with us. I think there’s a clash of generations. But you have to adapt. You’re not going to be liked by everyone,” the actor admits.
Although Maxi Iglesias admits that he knew “just enough” about art, he says that he was very good at it when he was at school. “That and Physical Education,” the actor admits. He has been lucky enough to travel a lot thanks to his job and has had the opportunity to visit many museums with his mother. Although the series revolves around the world of art, Iglesias’ character is not entirely an expert. He is the owner of an antique shop located in El Rastro in Madrid, and he teams up with Cata (Ximena Romo), an art expert, to take advantage of his skills and knowledge and scam millionaires by selling them fake works of art in order to get out of their difficult circumstances. Through a couple of recommended books and the help of the team, he built his character.
«The biggest challenge has been combining comedy moments with the situation they live in,» admits the actor. It seems that series about scammers never go out of fashion and Iglesias seems to know the secret. «There is something about the survival of a part of society for which life is not going as well as it would like. When watching the series, one can think about what their life would be like if they dedicated themselves to that. We have all fantasized about that at some point.» Series such as ‘Clanes’, ‘Fariña’, ‘Hierro’ or ‘La casa de papel’ have been successful on the platforms and tell stories like this. «It is the story of people who dare to go against what is stipulated and legal and do well.»
