The unexpected and captivating leap into acting marked a before and after in the life of Joaquin Ferreira. No one, not even he, would have ever predicted that he would end up in front of the camera, let alone that he would become one of the recognized faces of Hispanic productions for international platforms. The amazement can still be felt in his words today: “I swear I don’t know what it was like. I was 24 years old, had studied fine art, graphic design and architecture, but couldn’t find anything I liked doing. Until this happened.”.
This confusion and uncertainty accompanies every step he remembers. Joaquín, in dialogue with TV show He is completely honest about his introduction to acting: “I was always very insecure, very shy,” he admits. And he talks about this casual conversation with a friend when he was working for a multinational company and everything seemed to be going smoothly. “Finally, Joaco, you’re okay,” he told him. But something inside him made noises, a need to try something different. “That’s when the idea came to me to go to Mexico.”
The scene shifts from a small apartment filled with fear to a sequence of events that are as random as they are final. A woman he never knew what to call appeared on the street almost by chance. Playa del Carmen: “An older lady whose name I don’t remember asked me if I was an actress and I said no, but she encouraged me to take part in a casting. I took the test and was booked for a commercial.” Dominican Republic“, he says. The first time, the first sentence, the first light on his face with the adrenaline of the unexpected.
This casual comment changed the entire course of a biography. For Joaquín it was everything, and essentially it made him lose his fear of exposure, of trials and of making mistakes.
—Why did you choose Mexico as a destination to try your luck?
—Because I vacationed there two years ago. I loved it, I had an incredible time. And the day I made the decision, I said to myself, well, I’m going to live on the beach, I don’t know… this goal came to mind.
—And how did your family receive it?
– My old man wanted to kill me. My mother cried a lot. I went anyway, even though it was hard. Later they came to visit me, but it was difficult: I missed the death of my grandparents, the birth of my first nephew, the separation from my parents. It’s not easy to live outside. I didn’t go back for ten years.
—What was it like starting a new work scenario?
“It was very hard at the beginning, long hours of work and almost no days to rest.” As soon as you start writing a novel there, the first thing the producer often does is give you vitamins because the days are very hard, a lot of work and a lot of scenes.
—And how is the working environment there compared to Argentina?
—In Mexico I wrote two novels that lasted forever. We work at least twelve hours a day and one day I shot forty scenes. Crazy. There are people who have a panic attack. The union is much stronger here than in Mexico.
—Have you managed to adapt to this demanding pace?
—It was part of learning, but it’s not easy. It is very demanding and you have to be prepared, but if you like what you do you will enjoy it even if it is intense.
Joaquín continues with his fascinating story, which suddenly turns into a possible adaptation of EasyRider at these times. I had to make difficult decisions and there was little chance of going back. “Shortly after I started working in advertising, I bought a motorcycle.” Nothing out of the ordinary so far, except for one simple detail. “I didn’t know how to drive a motorcycle, but I tied my stuff in the back seat and went to Mexico City to study acting. I traveled for 17 days and almost killed myself three times. It was a very beautiful experience, but very dangerous,” he remembers.
—Who did you study with?
“I took courses and after three months I ran out of money. A professor told me to see if they would give me a scholarship to Azteca University. I attended two castings, stayed and they not only gave me a scholarship to study, but also paid me to study. I had to go from Monday to Saturday, it was 11 hours a day.
—Did it take a long time for the opportunities to arise?
“I had a deep feeling that I was ready to act, but they wouldn’t let me because my neutral accent wasn’t that good. I didn’t show up for the last exam of the year because I wanted them to let me go. If I left, I had to pay them an impossible sum to pay. The dean said to me, ‘We want you to continue, but you haven’t taken any exams.’ I thanked him and he broke the contract and I didn’t have to pay them back.
—How did you get your first casting for Netflix?
– About a month and a half after studying at Azteca University. Was Crow Clubthe first Spanish-language series for Netflix. I went to the casting and stayed, there were four seasons and then they did a spin-off of my character, which was called Me, foal. It was incredible, a miracle, and from that moment on more and more work was created.
—Did you ever think you would receive this international recognition?
—No, the truth is that I didn’t stop working in Mexico. I have done many series and films. The series is very popular throughout Latin America, except in Argentina, in Uruguay it was also not seen (due to the content of the platform for different countries), but later it caught on everywhere.
—What did you feel when you were recognized outside Argentina?
—It was very crazy. There are people who recognize me from different characters in different countries, but everything was a chain of possibilities, starting with the first series.
—What happened when you returned to Argentina?
“Three years ago I returned to Argentina with the firm decision to work there and luckily I started straight away. I wrote Adrián Suar’s latest novel, good guys. When my character was finished, Suar came and said to me: “I didn’t know you. If I knew you behaved like that…” And since my character was dying, he still wanted me to stay and play my twin brother.
– And what happened?
– I told him that I couldn’t because I was making a film in Mexico. I think he liked my job and suggested me for two more projects. I did a casting for enviousbut the characters were bigger than me, and then he suggested it to me Daughter of Fire and I stayed
—What was it like filming in the south and reuniting with Argentine talent?
“We were in the south for about a month and a half, two months. All the exteriors were shot in Buenos Aires. Meeting these actors and being able to work where I had never worked before was an incredible experience. With Eugenia la China Suárez, Diego Cremonesi, Eleonora Wexler, we became very friends with Jerónimo Bossi. We share a lot with the entire cast and in particular Carlos Bellosowhich was something very special for me because I knew him from the theater and from the films on television.
—You said that in addition to acting, you also paint. How did this passion come about?
—I have been painting since I was a child. My father is a visual artist and architect. I’ve always painted too; I studied fine arts and there was a year where I couldn’t work in advertising or modeling in Mexico, so I started painting pictures and selling them. I have already had five art exhibitions in Mexico; I just got back from one last week.
—Do you remember the first paintings you sold?
—It was really crazy. An art seller sold them to a man in New York who turned out to be a millionaire. When he died, he left in his will that the paintings would come back to me. They sent them to me framed in silver in a huge box. Now I have them stored with a friend in Barcelona.
—In addition to acting, do you also devote yourself entirely to painting?
—Yes, yes, I dedicate myself to both things, I paint and I act.
—What projects do you have coming up in the coming months?
—Now I’ll pause for a moment, because fortunately it was a very intense year. I was in Spain and shot two films there Alex de la Iglesia – he produced it, he didn’t direct it – then I went to Mexico, a series, then to Colombia to do a course and a Mexican series called dogs, after Uruguay filmed the second season of William Coppola (His character is Poli Armentano).
—Travel safely…
—Yes, I won’t stop traveling. I spend all my money on travel, on motorcycle tours and a little bit of traveling. We’re going surfing with Jerónimo Bossi in Thailand.
—Could you stay in one place?
—I would like to stop in Argentina at some point. But this is a path that I want to take real, honest and deep and that gives me work throughout my life because I want to act and paint forever, that’s what makes me happy.
About The Author
