Actress (1980 - Present )
Born in Valencia but considering herself an adopted Andalusian, Inma Cuesta achieved fame thanks to her role as Margarita in the successful television series Aguila Roja. She has just finished working with Daniel Sanchez Arevalo on his latest film, Primos, would love to work with directors such as Amenabar, Almodovar or Tim Burton, and wants to play Adela in Lorca’s La Casa de Bernarda Alba. This artistic, music-loving actress reveals to andalucia.com what she loves most about her job, why she became an actress and which is her favourite Andalucian city.
Andalucia.Com: What would you say is the attitude to life of your character in Aguila Roja, Margarita?
Inma Cuesta: Margarita gets herself involved in complicated love situations. But she always confronts them with courage and character.
AC: As well as fame, what has the character of Margarita given you as an actress?
Inma: Playing a character over a long period of time allows you to evolve the role and test it out in different situations.
AC: Are there any similarities between Inma Cuesta and the character of Margarita?
Inma: I’m always asked that question. I think it’s more to do with making the character your own, and to look for aspects of it within your own personality.
AC: In which acting situation are you most comfortable: TV, theatre or cinema?
Inma: Well, in all of them, to tell you the truth! I love my job, and so I couldn’t stay firmly in one place. You get different things from each one. The theatre is magical - the contact with the public and the sensation of performing live is special. There’s more to do in cinema and television, though it often depends on the budgets and the time you have to develop the character. Obviously it’s always better if you can prepare properly, and test out a character.
AC: Is there any particular role that you would like to play in cinema, television or theatre?
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Inma: I would love to take on a character with the force and rebelliousness of Adela (from La Casa de Barnarda Alba). But I’d also love to do some comedy and have a laugh, and to play a villain.
AC: And is there a particular director that you dream of working with?
Inma: Well I like several directors, so I wouldn’t be able to name just one. Gonzalez-Iñarritu, Rodrigo Garcia, Alejandro Amenabar, Julio Medem, Almodóvar, Tim Burton! I could name a few more. For now, I have already realised two of my dreams by working with Daniel Sanchez Arevalo and Benito Zambrano, because I admire their work very much.
AC: How would you describe yourself?
Inma: I don’t like describing myself, so I let my friends do that for me.
AC: What aspect of being a professional actress do you enjoy the most?
Inma: Everything that goes into the shaping of a character - research, observation, learning, reading. But I also enjoy travelling and all the people you meet along the way.
AC: And the worst part?
Inma: Losing your privacy and having that feeling that you’re being watched or that everyone’s got an opinion of you. But I’m not just talking about critics of your work, but also about criticism on how you dress, your shape or even your personality. It all makes me a bit insecure.
AC: What inspired you to be an actress?
Inma: I don’t really know what it was that inspired me to be an actress. I think that since a young age I have been quite a theatrical person. I stood on tables to sing, I enjoyed reciting poetry, I liked making people laugh, I organised music festivals with my cousins, and I always knew I wanted to study drama.
AC: If you hadn’t have been an actress, what would you have been?
Inma: I don’t know. I really like history of art, painting, drawing, photography, designing necklaces and bags, singing, playing guitar. Although I don’t know if I would have been good enough to make a living out of any of these things. Who knows?
AC: The most important thing for you in life is…
Inma: To have peace and stability, to give priority to those things that are really important, to try to make loved ones happy, to live life to the full, and to become a better person every day.
AC: The best advice you’ve been given is…
Inma: When I left drama school a teacher told me always to be a good, generous colleague, and I wouldn’t have problems, because a lot of the time it is that which gets you more work than your talent.
AC: Do you feel more Valencian or Andalusian?
Inma: I feel I’m a bit of both, but more Andalusian because I’ve spent most of my life there, and because my roots are Jaen. But I do have a lot of family in Valencia, and a lot of good memories of endless summers spent there with cousins and uncles. Plus, I was born there. With time, you feel like you take a part of each place you’ve lived in with you - for example, I also feel a bit Madrilenian, because the city has given so much to me.
AC: What’s your favourite place in Andalucia?
Inma: Without a doubt, and apologies to my countrymen, it has to be Cordoba with its Jewish culture, its courtyard of oranges and its mosque. I had some really great years there and it's a city that makes you fall in love with it.
