Carmen Machi: “doing comedy has a plus of technique and a sense of rhythm that exhausts me”

Although there are those who may miss you, Carmen Machi (Madrid, 1963) defines herself as a Nadalista and a Madridista. “There are few things that make me feel as alive as the adrenaline of a match. But there is nothing comparable to the happiness that comes from watching Nadal play…” When we have this interview, Real Madrid has just qualified for the final of the Champions League with a comeback against Manchester City, and he tells me that he saw it “with absolute admiration and a nervous breakdown”. So, although she may not seem like it, her character as a soccer coach nun in ‘Full of Grace’ comes in handy. also this month We will see it in a completely different register, as we highlighted in the review of ‘La volunteer’which received a great reception at the Malaga Festival.

How is Marisa, your character in ‘The volunteer’?

“She is a woman with a lot of vitality, who is in a difficult moment because she has just retired. She is not an unhappy person at all, but she is entering a stage of her life that she still does not know how to manage. In an earlier version of the film, which later fell apart during editing, we watched it in Barcelona with her children, with her friends, with her ex, with her dog… At that moment she realizes that no one needs her. That’s why she decides to go to a refugee camp in Greece as a volunteer.”

Hell is full of good intentions.

“Yes, but I understand her. I would do exactly the same as she does. And I’m not referring to certain decisions that I don’t want to reveal. But why won’t she be able to heal a wounded person? Marisa always appeals to her instinct and what she He thinks he’s fine at that moment. And he can be wrong, but he’s consistent with his decisions.”

I have read that you enjoy doing drama more than comedy, why?

“Because doing comedy has a plus of technique and a sense of rhythm that exhausts me. With a good tragedy, tearing me apart, I have a blast. But a comedy has to be very well written for it to work.”

Did you have a comedy teacher?

“No, I started working very young. I never studied acting and I learned on the fly by joining companies that did theater in the towns, with that immediacy that gives you three performances a day. Being on stage was my school. And of course that at first you have many things to polish, but fortunately I come from a family of musicians, and the ear, that is, the ability to listen on stage, has always been well developed”.

Is it true that you don’t like to see yourself on screen?

“It gives me a lot of shame. I don’t have a special interest in seeing myself. I don’t usually go to the combo and if the director tells me that the take is worth it, me too. In fact, there are many works of mine that I haven’t seen.”

But does it go down well?

“Myself? Sometimes I like it, but I have some things that need to be corrected, don’t you think.”

And what are you most satisfied with in your career?

“Of all my no’s.”

This article appears published in the June 2022 issue of FOTOGRAMAS.