Nacho Guerreros: “On issues of sexual identity we are still very corseted, we live in the era of posturing”

– How would you describe Mario's character?

-Mario is an office worker, a town boy with an old family and an authoritarian father who goes to Barcelona to work. He grew up in an environment that was not conducive to questioning his way of being. Therefore, when he reaches adulthood, he is a sad and lonely man who does not feel comfortable with his body or his head.

– How did this project evolve?

-Well, it started with a talk with Carolina Román, the director of the play. I had asked him to do a monologue for me. Afterwards, the story evolved and reached what it is today.

– In this process of evolution, the actor Kike Guaza, the other character, comes into play.

-Yes, it is the big change we had. Many stories can be told with a monologue, but not this one. Mario needed Guaza's character, Amorín. She is a transsexual woman who discovers the cabarets of Barcelona.

– These complexes due to sexual identity, in part, are still valid today.

-Unfortunately. Everything that is out of the norm continues to be left aside as a taboo subject. We continue with the motto of doing things as God commands: “You must get married in the Church, as God commands.” But what nonsense is that? We are still very corseted because we live in the era of posturing.

– Have social networks hurt you when it comes to accepting yourself?

-It depends on how they are used. If it's to share your work and fun moments with friends, fine. But I say posturing because we have the habit of projecting a very distorted image of ourselves on networks. Always the perfect smile, the most beautiful filter. We do not dare to talk about our problems.

– In any case, Mario's character does not live in the age of social networks.

-No, the play is set in the 60s and 70s in Barcelona. But the insecurities are the same. Mario is unable to accept himself, he is not even sure of his sexual identity. That's why he finds it so difficult for the rest of the world to do it.

– Is “Broken Toys” intended to be a call to reflection?

-Well, that's not it either. We don't want to lecture anyone. What I do believe is that this story needed to be told. We have forgotten many things, respect and empathy with others, the importance of accepting oneself. And in this work we uncover all that.

– What is the staging of the play like?

-It is a very nice, simple and elegant function. In rehearsals I felt very uncomfortable because there are many silences. Now I see its importance. We see Mario alone, in his house, questioning his identity. The work is a flashback, the public discovers his childhood and adolescence from his memories.

– It is a role quite different from that of Coque, the character in “La que se cerca.” What did this series mean?

-All. It was a monumental leap in my career. I never thought about doing comedy and today I make a living from it. The normal thing for an actor is to be unemployed, so belonging to that 8% of people who do work is lucky. I can pay my taxes, contribute, support my family. I've even bought an apartment. We've had more than 140 chapters and it doesn't cost me anything anymore. I put on my jacket and my crest and I'm already Coque.

– “Juguetes rotos” premieres nationally at the Palacio Valdés. Because?

-Because everyone goes to Avilés to premiere their works. In the world of theater, the city is an unavoidable stop. I've never been there, I had a thorn in me and I can finally get it out. And since I want it to be a surprise, I haven't even looked for photos of the stage.