The actor arrives at the Fernán Gómez Theater with his play ‘Sexpiertos’ and affirms that he would like to work with Almodóvar and Candela Peña
MADRID, 23 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The actor Telmo Irureta, winner in 2023 of the Goya Award for best new actor for ‘The Rite of Spring’, has “invited” society to “think and try to empathize” with people, in relation to their opinion on the proposition of socialist law against pimping that has been rejected this week by Congress.
“When we get into political issues it scares me a little, because one thing is what is said and another is what is understood. I just invite people to think and try to empathize or understand people more. “Not everything is black or white,” he stated in an interview with Europa Press, on the occasion of the premiere this Thursday of his play ‘Sexpiertos’ at the Fernán Gómez Theater.
The actor has pointed out that in political issues there are “many gray areas and complications.” “There are things that are not so easy to decide,” added Irureta, who at the 2023 Goya gala starred in one of the most applauded moments of the Goya gala for a speech that ended with a forceful: “people “With disabilities we also exist and we also fuck.”
After receiving the ‘big head’, the interpreter defended the figure of sexual assistants for people with functional diversity – not regulated in Spain – although he specified that he had never resorted to her because he has chosen prostitution. “It can’t go away,” he stressed.
In relation to those words at the Goya, he regrets that there has been a part of society that has not understood, “or has not wanted to understand”, what he meant, but prefers to keep the support received. “I have done many interviews in which I have been asked my opinion about sexual rights and sexual assistants and I have defended what I thought. There have been people who have not understood it or have not wanted to understand it, but many people have supported me “, he commented, before finishing by saying that “having ‘haters’ isn’t bad either.”
“We can all talk about everything, but there are topics that when you have experienced them you have an advantage. So, you can still give visibility and make someone feel identified. If I had seen bodies like mine in the movies in my childhood or adolescence , it would have helped me feel better or have fewer complexes and love myself more,” he explained.
In this sense, he emphasizes that knowing that he can help someone with his performances or his speeches “encourages” him to continue in the sector. Despite winning the Goya, Telmo Irureta assures that he “still” remains “the poor guy and the disabled one,” although he adds that he is now “the disabled one with Goya.” “The Goya is a plus. I like being the disabled person with Goya more than without Goya,” he joked.
“Until now there has not been much change, but now I am more visible and I have begun to notice that now they do remember me when they see a character with a disability,” he indicated.
The play ‘Sexpiertos’ can be seen at the Fernán Gómez Theater until June 9. Telmo Irureta wrote this production in 2021, together with Kepa Errasti, and since then they have toured Spain with the work, in which they place part of the audience in wheelchairs to “empathize” with Nicolás, played by the actor.
“The theme of the chairs is very good for empathizing. Because you are now placed in a new place, similar to the character that I play and who has cerebral palsy. It’s not me, but it looks a lot like me,” he explains.
Irureta highlights that the audience likes the play because “there is a lot of comedy”, although he adds that there are also “more serious moments”, which is why the audience also gets excited. “It’s a journey of smiles and tears,” he jokes. ‘Sexpiertos’ has won the Max Prize for best production in 2023 and also the XXIV Donostia Antzerki Saria.
“Humor helps a lot to deal with certain topics. In a few moments it can make you feel less uncomfortable or make you more uncomfortable. I like humor a lot and it is a good way to not remain the victim because victimhood is also tiring,” he commented.
‘Sexpiertos’ also stars Aitziber Garmendia and, as Telmo Irureta tells it, tells the story of two people who meet in an elevator that gets blocked and leads them to talk about their “fears, desires and loneliness.” “The work talks a lot about sexuality and disability, which is something that people have not experienced and I can tell it to them in the first person and that can help the public break patterns and taboos,” he commented.
Finally, Telmo Irureta reveals that he would “love” to work with Almodóvar, with whom he has met at some event but they have not spoken, and he would also like to share a project with Candela Peña. “I’ve seen a lot of her work and I’ve always liked her. Since she usually gives direct hints, well, so do I,” he said.
