IVÁN GISBERT: THE NAKED TRUTH
Interview By: Sadie Duarte
PUNK GLOBE: Since we last spoke, you’ve been working on many projects, including Spanish director Imanol Uribe’s feature film, based on a shocking true story, Llegaron de noche (2022).
IVÁN: First of all, I’ll always speak highly of Imanol Uribe. He’s such a great director. He has a unique vision that makes you feel confident and so comfortable on set. If an actor manages to nail a take in just one scene, then he won’t shoot any other take at all. Llegaron de Noche was quite interesting because the story is about a crime against humanity that happened thirty years ago in El Salvador. Actually, right after the movie was shot, the case reopened and the criminal who ordered the massacre of Jesuits was put on trial and found guilty. It was an awesome experience for me to star in this movie. We should all know that films are much more than sheer entertainment. They can be used as cultural weapons to make our world a better place to live in.
PUNK GLOBE: Of all the roles you have played on TV, which are the ones that have left a mark on you?
IVÁN: Doctor Garcés (TV series Vidas Paralelas), touched me deeply because he is a urologist who’s suffering from a mild form of Asperger’s Syndrome. He’s a very special person. He devotes himself to finding a cure for his patients even if this means to work day and night. That’s the reason why this is one of the characters I’ve enjoyed the most. I also loved playing Martín in Arrayán, one of the longest-running TV series in Spain. I starred in Arrayán for more than 150 episodes. Martín was a very interesting character. He’s a surfer who’s always flirting with girls and having fun. Then, one day everything changes and he ends up being a responsible family man.
PUNK GLOBE: We know about your passion for music. The musical film Between Here and Gone is getting recognition on the festival circuit. In fact, you’ve already won many international awards. How did you come up with this idea? Would you like to start a singing career?
IVÁN: I can only dream of shooting my own feature film or a musical TV series. Apart from the musical movie Between Here and Gone that I co-wrote with Sadie Duarte, we both wrote the script for a feature film based on the same story and we hope to get investors to get it off the ground. I’m certain we can make this dream come true and I hope you can all watch it on the big screen soon. In my opinion, the project is very good and we should never stop dreaming no matter what! I first met Sadie Duarte at the prestigious K-lidoscopi film festival in Cullera (Spain) in 2020, (I’ve been a jury member there for many years). I was lucky enough to host a Q&A on comedy and horror and Sadie was also there talking about her movie Blown Away (Enchufados). Then, at the festival dinner gala, I ran into Sadie again and told her that it would be a real pleasure for me to work with her. A few days later, we started talking more about all this and we became very good friends. We have this special true bond of friendship just like few people may have on this planet. We first came up with the idea of writing a script for a short musical film. Sadie had already thought of including four extraordinary rock songs written by Canadian music composer/singer Joe Taylor that could fit in perfectly well in the story. And the rest is history! Playing Dax has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had in my life. Singing four songs took me back to my youth back then when I was the lead singer of a heavy metal band, Guadaña, in Alicante. It was so exciting! Nobody thought we could make a musical like this in Spain. We’ve already won 53 international awards in a couple of years. I’ll be forever grateful to Sadie Duarte for the opportunity to co-write and star in this movie that she also directed and produced.
PUNK GLOBE: Dax Swayze in Between Here and Gone is a former rock star. What do you like most about this character?
IVÁN: Dax is the real deal. In spite of being a middle-aged guy, he’s still a child at heart. Not everyone is able to go through hard times with a smile. Dax is true to himself. He’s brave and so generous. He also knows how to seduce women and that makes him very funny because his seduction skills are so outdated. He’s also such a charming rock and roll hero and I had so much fun. I identify with him and I’m Dax in so many ways. It’s been a real pleasure for me to play a rock singer. If I could reincarnate as a fictional character, I’d ask to be Dax for sure.
PUNK GLOBE: You are also promoting your career as a screenwriter. Do you have any script ready yet?
IVÁN: I have several projects. I wrote a script for a TV series based on a historical fact, though the characters are all fictional. It’s a very interesting and emotional story but I can’t say anything else for the moment. I’ve also finished writing a script for a feature film (Metanoia). It’s a comedy inspired by the famous Spanish director Luis García Berlanga but with my own personal style. I’d be the happiest man in the world if I could get to shoot this movie. I also wrote two stage plays that are currently in development. One of them is Re-volver. I was a finalist at these prestigious awards in the city of Alicante (Residencia José Estruch, Teatro Principal de Alicante) with this script and now I’m trying to raise funds. I’m sure Spanish people will get the chance to see it very soon. The same goes for another play I wrote long time ago: Friends Forever?
PUNK GLOBE: You’ve been recently performing on stage as a cast member of an adaptation of Thomas Middleton’s play El Trueque (The Changeling). Do you think stage plays are still alluring and successful as they used to be in the past?
IVÁN: Well, I believe stage plays still have an impact on people but it’s a shame that cultural censorship is on the rise in Spain and other countries. Censorship, especially when related to stage plays written 400 or 500 years ago, seems surrealistic and pathetic to me. Stage plays and the arts in general should have freedom of expression. We can all choose to see a stage play or not, but censoring culture is not a good idea. I love classical plays and even more if I’m asked to learn my lines in Old Castilian. I really like this kind of old-fashioned words in my language.
PUNK GLOBE: If you could choose, what would your ideal role be?
IVÁN: I adore House M.D. because of the way Hugh Laurie worked on this so clever and very ironic character. A doctor who is a genius but also a loser in his own personal life. As for stage plays characters, I still dream of playing Hamlet.
PUNK GLOBE: In Sheltered from Time, a fantasy movie about Genesis, you play Adam, the first man on earth. The story highlights how Adam exerts power over Lilith, his first wife according to Hebrew mythology. What makes this character so alluring? And in your opinion, what’s the message spectators should get from the film?
IVÁN: Adam is a very primitive man and he also thinks the same way. Playing an alpha male is always interesting for an actor like me. The story is a metaphor for domestic violence. Lilith’s strength is brought to the fore. A woman who does not want to submit to a man. She never follows patriarchal rules and she breaks them all. She’s a warrior, a samurai, so to speak. I’ve had the pleasure of playing two characters in this movie: Adam and Almaaz, but the protagonist is Lilith, a woman who fights for her freedom. That’s the most incredible message of this short film.
PUNK GLOBE: Acting is a tough career. You’ve been in the business for so many years. What would you say to young actors who might think of throwing in the towel?
IVÁN: I’d tell young people to work and improve their acting skills every day because they could get the opportunity to be successful at any moment. We all know it’s not an easy road, but good things happen to those who work hard. I’d also tell them to never stop working so that when the time comes, they’ll be ready. The entertainment industry is a highly competitive field and if you don’t work your ass off, you’ll never show other people the best version of yourself.
PUNK GLOBE: Describe yourself in one sentence and in three words.
IVÁN: I’d think of myself as a good person. In three words? Generous, humble, and a warrior. Follow Iván Gisbert on Instagram: @ivan_gisbert_official