Roberto Millán is a very talented and hard-working Spanish actor I recently had the pleasure to work with. Seven years ago, he made up his mind to take up acting and since then, this brilliant artist has been involved in many different projects, especially stage plays, short films, commercial ads and a couple of full feature movies like Muchos Pedazos de Algo (Many Pieces of Something, 2015), which was selected for Festival de Cine de Málaga (Malaga Film Festival) and the Goya Awards.
PUNK GLOBE: When did you decide to start an acting career?
ROBERTO MILLÁN: When I was younger, I wanted to be a pilot, bartender, painter, astronaut, policeman… and then, life took me where I am now. It’s true that, as a child, I had many artistic influences, especially from my mother who is a both a piano and History of Art teacher. Actually, when I was 10 or 11 years old, we used to go to the cinema together. I remember watching movies like The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca and I was so impressed! I studied music, even played the violin but the idea of being an actor only crossed my mind after quite a long time, when I was 28 and I realized my life didn’t make much sense. It was the same routine every day: I came back home from work, took a shower and just sat on the sofa. Only then I felt I needed something else and I took up acting. When I was on stage, I knew I had the energy to connect and people supported my work, so I decided to enroll in drama school. Yet, working and studying was not easy at all! Right now, I can’t imagine my life any other way.
PUNK GLOBE: Do you remember the first time you were on stage?
ROBERTO MILLÁN: Of course. I was only 17. Some guys from a village, Villanueva de Jiloca, asked a friend of my mum’s to produce a theatrical play about the customs and traditions in the area. My mother helped her friend and also wrote the script. I didn’t have any experience back then, so I sort of stood up there, like living picture, staring nowhere. It was good fun.
PUNK GLOBE: What’s more difficult for you, a stage play or a movie?
ROBERTO MILLÁN: Both things are different and equally difficult, but I prefer stage plays because of the whole process, reading the script, rehearsals, how you get frustrated sometimes and two days later everything’s fine, the way you even find new things… there’s continuity. As for movies, you have to be ready in a moment. It doesn’t matter if you show happiness, anger or fear… all emotions have to be there.
PUNK GLOBE: Are you still working as an occasional model?
ROBERTO MILLÁN: Not now. Yeah, they called me at a time, but I don’t really think I have the looks, body or the style of a true model.
PUNK GLOBE: What kind of a role would you like to play?
ROBERTO MILLÁN: All of them. Robert de Niro or Edward Norton have played such legendary roles in movies we all remember and I dream of being offered similar roles that challenge me. I can’t decide if I love comedy or drama more. For any role, you talk to the director, see what kind of style he or she wants, and you just put the pieces together. The rest is easy.
PUNK GLOBE: You live in Zaragoza (Spain) and not so many movies are being shot there. What do you think about it?
ROBERTO MILLÁN: I think my city is a closed circle. You finish studying and if you have no contacts, then you are supposed to work for free to get a nice resume. You obviously do it the best you can and always in a humble way, but… it’s hard. I believe mates should collaborate and work hand in hand because we’re all learning and that’s the only way for indie projects to be noticed.
PUNK GLOBE: You star in award-winning filmmaker Sadie Duarte’s third film Blown Away (Enchufados) with two Spanish celebrities: Secun de la Rosa and Paco Arévalo (the production company is Brusau Films). Tell us about your role and experience in this movie.
ROBERTO MILLÁN: As an actor, I always like to step forward and improve my skills. It was a very good chance to work with these two artists who’ve been mega stars for so many years starring in movies, TV shows and stage plays. I always learn from guys like them. It’s also easy when a director like Sadie Duarte knows what she wants and that really made things easy. It’s a team work. It was an awesome experience. Everything worked out perfectly. We talked about my scenes, new ideas came up and Sadie gave us the chance to improvise. That’s awesome for a comedy film, although if you’re giving this chance, you should know how far you should go. It’s not a lead role but I always say no secondary role is bad! I play Luis Hill, a commercial agent, a cheeky guy. Really cool!
PUNK GLOBE: Tell us about your latest stage play.
ROBERTO MILLÁN: The script, ‘No me jodas por favor’ (Don’t Fuck with Me), was written by my former drama teacher, Paco Ortega, who is also a friend of mine. We are four mates and we get on very well. Paco gave us the roles thinking about our weak and strong points. We all play 8 different roles and it’s a great feeling. It has elements of comedy and drama. We can see ourselves reflected in the characters, like how people talk to each other while looking at their cell phones or the annoying neighbor who enjoys playing reggaeton.
PUNK GLOBE: Would you like to work in the USA?
ROBERTO MILLÁN: I’d love to. If there was a chance, I wouldn’t say no!
PUNK GLOBE: How can our readers contact you?
ROBERTO MILLÁN:
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RobertoMillanMoreno
Instagram: @robertomillanactor
Email: robertomillanmoreno@gmail.com
(Photo credits by: Nacho Gracia, Rubén Lalanza, Enrique Cardoso and Concha Ramos).
