IVAN HERMES: “When I decided to be an actor, I thought I was going to be a waiter for the rest ofmy life, and that didn’t scare me at all.” – By Rubén Tamarit

Iván Hermes is a Spanish actor who began his professional career at the age of 22. He made the leap to fame and popularity after his appearance in a youth TV series. Since then, Iván has worked in both theater and film or television.

Question: How many years have you been an actor?
Answer: As an actor, my whole life. We all act all the time. But, professionally I started working in
1998.

Q: Was it always clear to you that you wanted to dedicate yourself to it?
A: No. I was a very shy boy and had a lot of relationship problems. One night I got into the car very
drunk and had a very serious accident. My mother got scared and to help me make friends she he
signed me up for theater classes.

Q: Have you ever been afraid to dedicate yourself exclusively to acting?
A: No. When I decided to be an actor, I thought I was going to be a waiter for the rest of my life,
and that didn’t scare me at all. Then, luckily, I have been a waiter very little.

Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: That it allows me to explore myself. We are all very used to act within our own character and its
limits. My profession allows me to go beyond those limits.

Q: And what do you like least about your job?
A: What I like the least is how mistreated this profession is. How difficult they make it for us to be
actors and actresses.

Q: Have you always been able to balance your personal life with your professional life?
A: No. In fact, I have never been able to do it. I have suffered a lot, the truth. I became popular very
quickly and it took me years to adjust to that sudden surge of fame.

Q: Could you tell me what your first experience on a set was like?
A: Horrible. They even cut the sequence in which I was playing. I was very nervous. The fatal pass.
In fact, for many years that fear has accompanied me everywhere. And it continues to accompany
me now. I have only learned to make it my best ally.

Q: What roles do you prefer to play?
A: Any role seems wonderful to me. Every character is a challenge and a so different from the
others. I am excited about my profession. Let’s say that what I prefer is to work.

Q: Do you prefer film, television or theater?
A: It is true that film and television have much more scope, and generate greater stability for the
actor. However, I would stick with the theater for the freedom it offers. The theater allows you to
grow and learn a lot. Furthermore, each performance is totally different from the others.

Q: Do you think that new technologies are benefiting the film industry?
A: Yes, since they allow art to be a bit more democratic. In addition, they are a great tool for the
sector, despite the fact that it does not always allow it. The problem is that the system continues to
be the same as always. Its renewal is urgent to adapt itself to the new times.

Q: What advice would you give someone who wants to follow in your steps?
A: Don’t follow them! Let him follow his own steps, but not mine at all. Sometimes I would say that
they have not served even me. Trust yourselves, and go ahead. It is a complicated profession, but
exciting and precious. If your heart asks you to be an actor, listen to it and never give up.