In conversation w/ Fer Fraga
NOVEMBER 8, 2024 → PHOTOGRAPHY & CREATIVE DIRECTION SANTIAGO NEYRA STYLING LOGGA WORDS & PRODUCTION JUAN MARTÍ HAIR & MAKE-UP PAUL GÓMEZ
PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT IRENE ORENGA PRODUCTION ASSISTANT AVA AGRONINA SPECIAL THANKS HOTEL THOMPSON MADRID
COAT CELINE
SWEATER JW ANDERSON
Everyone puts on an act. We do it many times at work, at social gatherings and even to impress another person during a romantic date. We all want to be the best version of ourselves or even someone different for a few hours. It’s strange the masquerade ball we all participate in, but we still do it. Beyond those games, there are people who turn acting into a true art, a visceral expression of the most intense and universal emotions. One of those people is the young actor Fer Fraga. This Galician, whose career has just taken its first steps, seems to have become a true promise of Spanish cinema thanks to his unpredictable professional decisions that lead him to participate in projects as diverse as unexpected. From a role in the fantasy and horror series “30 Coins” to thrillers like “Rapa” or the next Prime Video teen bomb, “Bad Influence” and the new play by Argentine theater master Claudio Tolcachir. There are no creative barriers that can stop Fer, he is here to stay. The dance has just begun.
SWEATER CELINE BLAZER MANS CONCEPT SUNGLASSES JIMMY FAIRLY
JACKET DIESEL TOP CARLOTA BARRERA BOOTS CELINE
Wednesday! Wednesdays are a weird day, not as bad as Tuesdays but not as good as Thursdays. It’s a day of the week that is in no man’s land.
I understand what you mean, even more so in a busy week like this one. I’m finally back in Madrid after a long season shooting outside. I’ve been in La Guardia, a town in Galicia, shooting a film.
Directed by Daniel Sánchez Arévalo?
That’s right. It’s about the residents of a town who really like rondallas and where a shipwreck happens on the coast near the area that changes things a bit. I don’t really know whether to classify it as a drama or a comedy.
It could be a dramedy.
It is also true. It’s a film with Daniel’s stamp, which always swings between laughter and tragedy.
You like to shoot in your homeland.
I love shooting in Galicia, the rhythm of life there makes me feel good. Besides, this shoot has been a real gift, the whole team has become a family. Javier Gutiérrez, María Álvarez... they are not only great people, but also incredible actors.
Have you been able to visit your grandmother during the time you have been in Galicia?
Yes, it was her birthday last Monday. She is very spry, you have a lot of vitality. I love to visit her because she puts my feet on the ground when I am with her. I feel a very special simplicity when I am with her. For her birthday we had a quiet dinner at home, fried eggs and potatoes, a walk with some friends and a coffee.
What did you give her?
A pair of slippers that she really likes and that are the ones she always wears, but a bit more comfortable. She is always saying that she doesn't need anything, like all grandmothers.
JACKET DIESEL TOP CARLOTA BARRERA BOOTS CELINE
SWEATER CELINE PANTS DSQUARED2
And now you are going back to Madrid to prepare a play, right?
Yes, in a play by Claudio Tolcachir called Los de ahí, which will open in January at the María Guerrero Theater.
You already know what theater is.
Yes, but I have never done theater. Besides, you really know theater when you get on stage and see the audience. At that moment everything changes. The magnitude of the play also influences. Sometimes you participate in bigger and smaller productions. This is a production that will have us for eight weeks in a theater as important as the María Guerrero and then on tour in Spain.
Can you tell me about the plot of the play?
Claudio was inspired by a street in Argentina that is always crowded, where apparently nothing happens, but where there is a lot of life and people are constantly interacting with each other. It speaks of the links that go unnoticed, but that are there.
Claudio is, so to speak, a teacher for you.
Yes, I consider him as a father in the world of acting. I was very excited when he called me to participate in this project.
SWEATER CELINE PANTS DSQUARED2
TOTAL LOOK CELINE
Why do you think he thought of you?
I don’t know and I don’t like to receive praise either. He always tells me that even though he doesn’t know what I’m thinking, he can see me thinking and feel a lot of things going through my head. Maybe that had something to do with it.
Who will accompany you on stage?
Actors like Nourdin Batán, Nuria Herrero, Gerardo Otero and a great one like Ángela Molina.
Are you nervous?
I am not having time to be nervous. I’m in a season in my life where I’m trying to be very active, doing a lot of things, being very busy and not worrying and thinking too much about the future. Tomorrow I know I have to go to rehearsals from nine-thirty to three-thirty. I have to study a lot of pages and I don't have time for anything else. If I start thinking too much about everything I am living, I would end up not enjoying it and I don’t want that. I just want to focus on my day to day, be calm, ride, do the best I can and live the experience. Nothing else.
What is so special about Los de ahí?
There is something special about Argentine theater, they are true masters who come to Spain and succeed. Their way of doing these things is very organic, the emotions are palpable. They have a fresh, very real miui technique. When I visited Buenos Aires I was very impressed by the theater scene on Corrientes Avenue. There many of the restaurants or cafes have a room where you can do theater. The plays are fresh, fast, with rhythm. All this is being encouraged by the Argentine teachers who come to Spain and set up their schools.
TOTAL LOOK CELINE
SWEATER MANS CONCEPT PANTS JEAN PAUL GAULTIER BAG CELINE
I feel like you have a real challenge ahead of you.
I think they chose me precisely because of that, because I fit in, because they think I can do it.
You have a few weeks to rehearse.
Seven weeks isn’t long either.
Oh, when you say that, I remember the divine Irene Escolar who told me that she only had two weeks of rehearsal to do the play Finlandia.
Some directors are looking for movement, for you to be active, not to relax.
I don’t know how you guys are able to read such long texts.
Some of us have an earpiece in our ear (laughs).
I’m serious!
This play is not a monologue, where the exposure is so great that you run a huge risk if you screw up. But when there are several actors on stage, they support each other and we can cover each other’s mistakes because only we know what we are saying.
COAT CELINE
TOTAL LOOK CARLOTA BARRERA
How do you think you’re going to feel in the days leading up to the premiere?
With butterflies in my stomach and very excited, excited in the best of ways. It’s undeniable to feel some vertigo because it’s a very big leap, an important step in my career. I think it’s going to put me in a completely different place as an artist.
Have you received any advice?
Everyone tells me the same thing and that is to have fun, to enjoy the experience.
In the play there are young actors and actors with a very, very long career. How does that influence the play?
Experienced actors seem to me to be very respectful of young actors, at least according to what I have experienced. They also had a start and I want to believe that we serve as a mirror where they can look at themselves and give us a hand, making things easy for us. I’ve had nothing but kind experiences, really. I have always been told that the most important thing is to trust. You don’t have to put up resistance, you have to unblock yourself and let things flow, not get frustrated or ask yourself too many questions. It’s very easy to give into bad thoughts and that’s a mistake.
Do you trust yourself?
I trust that I am enough, I don’t have to act, talk or be any other way to be liked by anyone. I am who I am and that is enough. We each have our own essence and you have things that I don’t have and vice versa and the other way around. We have unique ways of seeing the world, of understanding it and of communicating. That’s why I think each one of us is enough and thinking like that is very liberating.
SWEATER JW ANDERSON
You have things very clear.
Now more than ever. I want to be aware of where I’m going and not be so attached to other people’s choices. I want to take care of myself, take care of the people around me. I don’t have many pretensions except to do what I like and lead a nice life where my people are well and don’t lack anything.
You are going to release next year the Prime Video movie Bad Influence which aims to be a new hit among teenagers. Maybe your life will be turned upside down.
I hope that Bad Influence reaches as many people as possible and that it is a great success and whether or not my life turns upside down, everything will be fine no matter what. It’s a very clear film and I think everyone involved knew what we were getting into. I think everything has to be seen with a certain calm and perspective because even if it’s still booming, nowadays everything goes so fast that everything comes and everything happens.
Are you afraid of being pigeonholed?
The film may be a phenomenon but I have not been caught still. I’ve just shot a series called Animal Salvaje, I’ve just shot with Daniel Sánchez-Arévalo and I’m premiering a play in a very important Miui theater. I just premiered the third season of Rapa and I participated in 30 Coins with Álex de la Iglesia. I don’t think I’m an easy actor to pigeonhole. The director of Bad Influence, Chloe Wallace, who is like a sister to me, told me all the time, laughing, that I don’t look anything like the character and we loved that. I can’t wait for the public to see it. But I don’t think I’m even going to be able to go to the premiere because I’ll be doing the play. That’s what I tell you, you have to be in the moment, without stopping, without time to think about whether it’s going to be liked or not. I live in the present.
The present is the premiere of the final season of the series Rapa, which has recently premiered to rave reviews.
I have enjoyed that experience a lot, which has been very rewarding for me. Rapa is not a mainstream product, but it has managed to give me a visibility that I really liked. It has made me be seen as an actor beyond my age, my youth or physical appearance. It’s very cool to have your work valued in that way.
In conversation w/ Fer Fraga
NOVEMBER 8, 2024
PHOTOGRAPHY & CREATIVE DIRECTION SANTIAGO NEYRA
STYLING LOGGA
WORDS & PRODUCTION JUAN MARTÍ
HAIR & MAKE-UP PAUL GÓMEZ
PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT IRENE ORENGA
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT AVA AGRONINA
SPECIAL THANKS HOTEL THOMPSON MADRID
COAT CELINE
SWEATER JW ANDERSON
Everyone puts on an act. We do it many times at work, at social gatherings and even to impress another person during a romantic date. We all want to be the best version of ourselves or even someone different for a few hours. It’s strange the masquerade ball we all participate in, but we still do it. Beyond those games, there are people who turn acting into a true art, a visceral expression of the most intense and universal emotions. One of those people is the young actor Fer Fraga. This Galician, whose career has just taken its first steps, seems to have become a true promise of Spanish cinema thanks to his unpredictable professional decisions that lead him to participate in projects as diverse as unexpected. From a role in the fantasy and horror series “30 Coins” to thrillers like “Rapa” or the next Prime Video teen bomb, “Bad Influence” and the new play by Argentine theater master Claudio Tolcachir. There are no creative barriers that can stop Fer, he is here to stay. The dance has just begun.
SWEATER CELINE BLAZER MANS CONCEPT SUNGLASSES JIMMY FAIRLY
JACKET DIESEL TOP CARLOTA BARRERA BOOTS CELINE
Wednesday! Wednesdays are a weird day, not as bad as Tuesdays but not as good as Thursdays. It’s a day of the week that is in no man’s land.
I understand what you mean, even more so in a busy week like this one. I’m finally back in Madrid after a long season shooting outside. I’ve been in La Guardia, a town in Galicia, shooting a film.
Directed by Daniel Sánchez Arévalo?
That’s right. It’s about the residents of a town who really like rondallas and where a shipwreck happens on the coast near the area that changes things a bit. I don’t really know whether to classify it as a drama or a comedy.
It could be a dramedy.
It is also true. It’s a film with Daniel’s stamp, which always swings between laughter and tragedy.
You like to shoot in your homeland.
I love shooting in Galicia, the rhythm of life there makes me feel good. Besides, this shoot has been a real gift, the whole team has become a family. Javier Gutiérrez, María Álvarez... they are not only great people, but also incredible actors.
Have you been able to visit your grandmother during the time you have been in Galicia?
Yes, it was her birthday last Monday. She is very spry, you have a lot of vitality. I love to visit her because she puts my feet on the ground when I am with her. I feel a very special simplicity when I am with her. For her birthday we had a quiet dinner at home, fried eggs and potatoes, a walk with some friends and a coffee.
What did you give her?
A pair of slippers that she really likes and that are the ones she always wears, but a bit more comfortable. She is always saying that she doesn't need anything, like all grandmothers.
JACKET DIESEL TOP CARLOTA BARRERA BOOTS CELINE
SWEATER CELINE PANTS DSQUARED2
And now you are going back to Madrid to prepare a play, right?
Yes, in a play by Claudio Tolcachir called Los de ahí, which will open in January at the María Guerrero Theater.
You already know what theater is.
Yes, but I have never done theater. Besides, you really know theater when you get on stage and see the audience. At that moment everything changes. The magnitude of the play also influences. Sometimes you participate in bigger and smaller productions. This is a production that will have us for eight weeks in a theater as important as the María Guerrero and then on tour in Spain.
Can you tell me about the plot of the play?
Claudio was inspired by a street in Argentina that is always crowded, where apparently nothing happens, but where there is a lot of life and people are constantly interacting with each other. It speaks of the links that go unnoticed, but that are there.
Claudio is, so to speak, a teacher for you.
Yes, I consider him as a father in the world of acting. I was very excited when he called me to participate in this project.
SWEATER CELINE PANTS DSQUARED2
TOTAL LOOK CELINE
Why do you think he thought of you?
I don’t know and I don’t like to receive praise either. He always tells me that even though he doesn’t know what I’m thinking, he can see me thinking and feel a lot of things going through my head. Maybe that had something to do with it.
Who will accompany you on stage?
Actors like Nourdin Batán, Nuria Herrero, Gerardo Otero and a great one like Ángela Molina.
Are you nervous?
I am not having time to be nervous. I’m in a season in my life where I’m trying to be very active, doing a lot of things, being very busy and not worrying and thinking too much about the future. Tomorrow I know I have to go to rehearsals from nine-thirty to three-thirty. I have to study a lot of pages and I don't have time for anything else. If I start thinking too much about everything I am living, I would end up not enjoying it and I don’t want that. I just want to focus on my day to day, be calm, ride, do the best I can and live the experience. Nothing else.
What is so special about Los de ahí?
There is something special about Argentine theater, they are true masters who come to Spain and succeed. Their way of doing these things is very organic, the emotions are palpable. They have a fresh, very real miui technique. When I visited Buenos Aires I was very impressed by the theater scene on Corrientes Avenue. There many of the restaurants or cafes have a room where you can do theater. The plays are fresh, fast, with rhythm. All this is being encouraged by the Argentine teachers who come to Spain and set up their schools.
TOTAL LOOK CELINE
SWEATER MANS CONCEPT PANTS JEAN PAUL GAULTIER BAG CELINE
I feel like you have a real challenge ahead of you.
I think they chose me precisely because of that, because I fit in, because they think I can do it.
You have a few weeks to rehearse.
Seven weeks isn’t long either.
Oh, when you say that, I remember the divine Irene Escolar who told me that she only had two weeks of rehearsal to do the play Finlandia.
Some directors are looking for movement, for you to be active, not to relax.
I don’t know how you guys are able to read such long texts.
Some of us have an earpiece in our ear (laughs).
I’m serious!
This play is not a monologue, where the exposure is so great that you run a huge risk if you screw up. But when there are several actors on stage, they support each other and we can cover each other’s mistakes because only we know what we are saying.
COAT CELINE
TOTAL LOOK CARLOTA BARRERA
How do you think you’re going to feel in the days leading up to the premiere?
With butterflies in my stomach and very excited, excited in the best of ways. It’s undeniable to feel some vertigo because it’s a very big leap, an important step in my career. I think it’s going to put me in a completely different place as an artist.
Have you received any advice?
Everyone tells me the same thing and that is to have fun, to enjoy the experience.
In the play there are young actors and actors with a very, very long career. How does that influence the play?
Experienced actors seem to me to be very respectful of young actors, at least according to what I have experienced. They also had a start and I want to believe that we serve as a mirror where they can look at themselves and give us a hand, making things easy for us. I’ve had nothing but kind experiences, really. I have always been told that the most important thing is to trust. You don’t have to put up resistance, you have to unblock yourself and let things flow, not get frustrated or ask yourself too many questions. It’s very easy to give into bad thoughts and that’s a mistake.
Do you trust yourself?
I trust that I am enough, I don’t have to act, talk or be any other way to be liked by anyone. I am who I am and that is enough. We each have our own essence and you have things that I don’t have and vice versa and the other way around. We have unique ways of seeing the world, of understanding it and of communicating. That’s why I think each one of us is enough and thinking like that is very liberating.
SWEATER JW ANDERSON
You have things very clear.
Now more than ever. I want to be aware of where I’m going and not be so attached to other people’s choices. I want to take care of myself, take care of the people around me. I don’t have many pretensions except to do what I like and lead a nice life where my people are well and don’t lack anything.
You are going to release next year the Prime Video movie Bad Influence which aims to be a new hit among teenagers. Maybe your life will be turned upside down.
I hope that Bad Influence reaches as many people as possible and that it is a great success and whether or not my life turns upside down, everything will be fine no matter what. It’s a very clear film and I think everyone involved knew what we were getting into. I think everything has to be seen with a certain calm and perspective because even if it’s still booming, nowadays everything goes so fast that everything comes and everything happens.
Are you afraid of being pigeonholed?
The film may be a phenomenon but I have not been caught still. I’ve just shot a series called Animal Salvaje, I’ve just shot with Daniel Sánchez-Arévalo and I’m premiering a play in a very important Miui theater. I just premiered the third season of Rapa and I participated in 30 Coins with Álex de la Iglesia. I don’t think I’m an easy actor to pigeonhole. The director of Bad Influence, Chloe Wallace, who is like a sister to me, told me all the time, laughing, that I don’t look anything like the character and we loved that. I can’t wait for the public to see it. But I don’t think I’m even going to be able to go to the premiere because I’ll be doing the play. That’s what I tell you, you have to be in the moment, without stopping, without time to think about whether it’s going to be liked or not. I live in the present.
The present is the premiere of the final season of the series Rapa, which has recently premiered to rave reviews.
I have enjoyed that experience a lot, which has been very rewarding for me. Rapa is not a mainstream product, but it has managed to give me a visibility that I really liked. It has made me be seen as an actor beyond my age, my youth or physical appearance. It’s very cool to have your work valued in that way.