Júlia Genís is a young actress who began her career in 2018. You may have seen her in plays such as 'The Misanthrope', 'The Joy That Passes', or 'Iphigenia', or in the series 'As If It Were Yesterday'. Now, from February 5th to March 29th, we can see her at Texas with 'Loop'. This play is written by Ramon Madaula, with whom Genís also shares the stage, all under the direction of Mònica Bofill. After a successful run at Sala Flyhard, this year it arrives at the theatre on Bailèn street, 205, to stage the relationships between father and daughter and the pending conversations. The play focuses on these family loops and the management and communication of this relationship with questions like: who are we when we try not to resemble our parents?
You trained at the Institut del Teatre (IT), but had you always known you wanted to be an actress?
Yes. My family is connected to the world of theatre; my father is an actor and my mother has been a music teacher her whole life, so I've always been involved in it in some way. I decided I wanted to be an actress when I was around 13 years old; suddenly, it became very clear to me that this was what I liked, a kind of divine revelation. Then I asked my parents if I could start taking theatre classes, and I began at the Eòlia youth company, then at Laura Jou's studio, and since I got into IT the second time I applied, I spent a year at the Col·legi de Teatre
And at some point have you considered giving up or dedicating yourself to something else?
No, the truth is I haven't. I must say I consider myself very fortunate. I started working before finishing the Theatre Institute, and although there are ups and downs, I've been lucky enough that things have come my way, which also means I haven't had to think about it too much. Nevertheless, I feel I don't know if I could or would know how to do anything else. Acting is something I like, I'm very passionate about it, I have a great time, and I have an even better time on stage. It would be very difficult for me to consider changing.
The play is about these relationships or conversations between a father and a daughter. Have you been able to see yourself represented or identified in it?
Yes, but I think everyone can feel represented by it. There are phrases you've heard at home, phrases taken straight from the dining room table. Ramon has done a very good job, because it's a very natural text and at the same time very representative of the father-daughter relationship. That thing of: we love each other very much, we're very fond of each other, but we don't know how to tell each other things, and you tease me, I tease you back, and we escalate.
What is it like working with such a renowned actor with the career of Ramon Madaula?
It was very interesting, as it's just the two of us and he, besides being the actor, is also the author, which gives him a much more complete knowledge of the work. Besides having an incredible and excellent scene partner, he can tell you exactly why he wrote that line, although it also gives freedom for things to change and opens up to all possibilities. It was very cool, even though the stage direction is by Mònica Bofill, Ramon also contributed a lot interpretatively. He sees me and sometimes gives me notes or suggestions, and at the same time, he really values it when I do something he likes and that surprises him. It has been very rewarding in both senses, like learning and growing personally and artistically, and at the same time feeling very valued by someone with so much experience
How do you handle or manage criticism or opinions about your work or projects?
The truth is that it's a part that I struggle with. I'm at a point right now where it's a bit difficult for me to live it. On one hand, I try not to base my stage validity on external recognition, although it's very gratifying to receive it. Critiques are also highly valued, whether good or bad, when they are well-written or well-founded, but at the same time, I'm in a phase of trying to learn that some things turn out better, some things turn out worse, and you can't always be at 100%. It's good not to base who you are or what you do on giving all the power to external recognition. Furthermore, when you've been through a process, you also understand where things or decisions come from. You already have a certain criterion for what's better and what's worse, or what you do better and what you do worse. It's nice to be able to trust in projects and believe in what you're doing from within to be able to defend it 100%‘Loop’ was a very well-received play at the Flyhard theatre, this season you're coming to Texas, why do you think it's so well received or why has the audience been so interested in it?I think Ramon has hit on something really cool because everyone can identify with it. It's wonderful when you notice people laughing in recognition. The play is neither a comedy nor a tragedy; it's a kind of tragicomic situation, but people laugh because they recognize themselves in the situation. And I think that's the goal of theater, for people to be able to identify with it and for it to move them somewhere. I believe that's why it worked so well; the play is designed to make you feel like you're walking into a dining room at home and witnessing something happening between two individuals in a family. I really like hearing that people identify with it and don't agree with the head of either character. There are things about one that you really dislike, things about the other that you really like, things you agree with one and things with the other; you can't quite take a side because both are right, but neither is entirely right. It's cool because it's not moralistic in that sense
What does theatre give you that other audiovisual formats or proposals don't?
The nerves of everyday life. In some projects more, in others less, but there are always nerves. There's something very beautiful about theatre: what happens one day is unique and non-transferable from what happens the next. What an audience sees one day, perhaps no one will ever see again. And there's also something about the fact that in theatre, you can never give up. In cinema, the code is very different, because you're doing it and if something doesn't work out, it can probably be repeated. In theatre, however, if something happens to you, you can't give up. You're there, people are around you, and you're exposed and you have to save it. That feeling of not being able to give up, also to honor the people who come to see the play and so you can give them the best you can that day, I find it beautiful. I think that keeps you on your toes every day.
Looking ahead to future projects or what's to come, is there anything you're eager to try or any proposal you'd like to take on?
The truth is that until now I've been very lucky. I've received absolutely different proposals, and all of them have been very rewarding to do, because I've learned a lot from all of them and from everyone I've worked with. This year, I actually filmed a movie for the first time and I really enjoyed the experience. Perhaps I'd like to try something more audiovisual, but I'm open to discovering acting in other areas. Perhaps sometimes it's not all about getting on stage, or there isn't just one way; I'm discovering that the world of the performer has many facets and that they are all very valid, and that it's good to be versatile.
