Urko Olazabal: “The nomination is the award for the work of a lifetime”

The actor Urko Olazabal (Bilbao, 1978) has been working for many years in the shadow of the brightest spotlights, in supporting roles on television, webseries and cinema… But his performance as former ETA member Luis Carrasco in the film “Maixabel” has clearly shown the talent of this actor who is also dedicated to teaching at his own acting school. Critics have praised his work, and he has just won the Feroz award from Spain’s film journalists for best supporting actor.

On Saturday he will compete in that same section at the Goya Awards of the Spanish Film Academy, and we have spoken with him before.

Zorionak for the nomination, Urko! How did you find out? Did you expect it?

Eskerrik asko. I was with my wife at BIZIE, the acting school that we share in Bilbao. A former student of the school offered a streaming of the reading of the nominations on his YouTube channel, and that is how I followed him.

The truth is that since both the film and my work have been so successful, honestly, I expected the nomination. Anyway, when they nominated the three actors for “The Good Boss”, as there have been great movies and performances this year, we thought my nomination would fall by the wayside.

But when my name was called in fourth place, we jumped out of the chair and hugged each other, laughing and crying.

How do you face the night of February 12? How do you imagine it?

The family and friends are overjoyed, and the students at the school are also expressing that to me.

For me, the nomination is an award for the work of a lifetime, and winning it would be an added joy, a finishing touch. Therefore, the night of February 12 will be a celebration for me, even if I don’t win the award, because getting here is already a prize.

In addition, as the film “Maixabel” has received many nominations, a good number of colleagues from the technical and artistic team will gather in Valencia. I’m sure we’ll have a good time.

You are by no means a newcomer to the profession. How have you managed the good reviews of your work at “Maixabel” at this point in your career?

This small success has caught me already mature. If he caught me in the days when I was starting out in acting, I don’t know what kind of damage it would have done to my head, since when I was young I was very innocent.

The path of a normal actor like me is full of obstacles, and I am no exception. The main objective of those who want to be actors or actresses is to make acting their job, but to achieve that, you first have to make a living from thousands of different jobs.

In my case, although I have made a great effort, I have been lucky, because lately being self-taught in video making and having become an ESO teacher have paved the way for me.

That was also what pushed me to create my own acting school, and suddenly Icíar Bollaín noticed me. The good reviews about my work in the film have made me very excited, and have renewed my desire to continue moving forward.

In the film you play former ETA member Luis Carrasco, a real person (just like you did in “Patria” with Manuel Zamarreño). What limits and what responsibility does that factor put on your shoulders?

The film’s script is inspired by the experiences of Maixabel Lasa, Ibon Etxezarreta and Luis Carrasco. They collaborated with Icíar and Isa Campo in writing the script, providing advice, corrections and details. Therefore, what is told in the film is consented to by them. That very solid base made me know that what is told in the film is a true story.

I realized that it was a very sensitive, soft and fragile material, and it was clear to me that I had to treat it with great respect. I was with Luis Carrasco to prepare the character. He was very grateful to me: he showed himself to me without any hesitation, he showed me his personality and that made it possible for me to understand his energy. In fact, that was my starting point.

I found a man who today is fully repentant, and from there I built a trip to the past. I imagined the possible path to Luis Carrasco’s youth. He reminded me of my youth with the gang, our revolutionary thoughts, demonstrations, the atmosphere in the streets, and I realized that ETA violence was not so far from me. That was the environment in which I composed the character.

Urko Olazabal, in ‘Maixabel’

You have participated in “Patria”, “Ane” and “Maixabel”, but “918 gau”, “Once upon a time in Euskadi”, “Bolante baten historia” have also been released or will do so soon… What role do you give to the cinema when telling the Basque conflict?

Usually, the Basque conflict has separated Euskal Herria into two political sensitivities. The subject has been taboo in society, and also in art and other fields. Today, since ETA stopped its actions in 2011, we have gained perspective.

These types of films have brought out a latent historical debate. As far as our film is concerned, “Maixabel” takes the audience back to that time, and I think it makes everyone ask themselves questions: who was he, what did he think and what do I think now?

The message, therefore, transcends the work, as it happens with other works. I think that this function of art is very important.

Icíar Bollaín, Blanca Portillo, Luis Tosar and María Cerezuela are also up for prizes for “Maixabel”. How was the filming and how has it been working with them?

An actor always has the directors or actors of his dreams, his favourites. In this case, this trio means that to me. I totally admire their careers, and working with them has been even more wonderful than I thought. They are stars, but close, humble, charming stars, the kind that help their new partner to feel comfortable and help him.

María Cerezuela closes the poker. I knew María from the BAI scenic training center, and when they told me that she was in the film, I was very excited

All of your fellow nominees are actors from “The Good Boss.” Have you seen her? Do you think that benefits you?

Yes, of course I’ve seen the movie, and all three of them do a fantastic job. The people around me, friends and family, say that it can benefit me, since the votes of the academics will be distributed among the three nominees.

But I’m not so sure: Goya voting has never been an exact science. Anyway, come what may, I’ll be happy.

Whether or not they are nominated for a Goya, what films have caught your attention lately?

“O Que Arde” by Oliver Laxe, “The Power of the Dog” by Jane Campion, “The Father” by Florian Zelle, “The Legend of Time” by Isaki Lacuesta, “Hillbilly” by Ron Howard, “Mud” by Jeff Nichols, Adam McKay’s “Vice” and Philip Barantini’s “Boiling Point.” These have seemed to me the roundest of sights over the last month.

Olazabal recently won the Feroz award for best supporting actor in a film

Do you have a new job on your hands? What can you advance us?

The projects, at the moment, are on the table. My representative and I are evaluating the offer and the direction of each of the projects very carefully, because they will be the ones that will sell my image from now on.

These are projects that are very different from each other, all of them very interesting, but I still can’t tell you about them.

I only know that I will value the artistic section above everything else; I like to face a dangerous game of challenges when composing the characters. All these difficulties that take me out of comfort do not let me rest, but they keep me alert at work.

So the artistic responses that the characters create within me serve as valuable lessons for me and the rest of the world. Or so I want to believe.

What role would you like to play?

At university I studied sculpture. There I learned about the life of Jorge Oteiza, and after delving into his work, Oteiza’s lessons are always the basis of my creative processes. He is, without a doubt, my favorite artist, and I would like to play Jorge Oteiza.