By millions the readers count the Valencian writer Elizabeth Benavent, creator of the literary saga 'Valeria' (so far the one that has obtained the most successes and sales), consisting of four novels edited by Suma de Letras and a spin-off published in 2015 by Aguilar, both imprints of the Penguin Random publishing house House. It was in the past 2020 when Netflix premiered on its platform the series that adapts this saga. A year later it is released the second season, which now has Benavent herself as executive producer.
'Valeria' follows the vicissitudes of a group of four friends in their thirties, residents of Madrid and in perpetual conflict with themselves, not being clear about how to deal with the dilemmas that life poses for them. Their jobs, homes, families and romantic and / or sexual relationships are the main reasons for their internal doubts.
Valeria, the protagonist, is embodied by the Barcelona actress Diana Gomez, who has worked in films such as' Year of Grace '(Ventura Pons, 2011) or' High pressure '(Ángel Santos, 2014) and in series such as '45 revolutions' (Ramón Campos, Gema R. Neira, 2019).
Adrián, Valeria's husband in the first season and separated from her in this second (despite the fact that love has not disappeared between them), is played by the Sevillian actor Ibrahim Al Shami, known for his role in 'The Secret of Puente Viejo' (Aurora Guerra, 2011-2020) and recently also seen in the movie 'Jaulas' (Nicolás Pacheco, 2019). We interviewed both of them to learn more about their characters, the possible similarities that they have with them and the details of the shooting.
Let's start with the changes that Valeria and Adrián undergo with respect to the initial season. "This Valeria is different, now we see her more personal, more intimate side, and her friends are an even greater pillar for her. Valeria has to face two important decisions, firstly, the work one, because despite the fact that she is convinced which way to go, her economic situation forces her to rethink the situation and, secondly, the sentimental one, since she will have to decide with Víctor while her ex-partner is still very present. It is in this aspect where my character will have more doubts that will lead her to more problems, ”says Gómez.
Adrián has also changed, according to Al Shami "his life is not the same as before, now he has new professional challenges and his relationship with Valeria is different, he meets her from a different perspective".
Diana Gómez: "Our profession is very unstable, that's why we understand the problems that both characters go through"
The series portrays through its protagonists very pressing problems posed by the millennial generation, such as the housing problem, job insecurity, the pressure to be a mother when certain ages are reached, as well as issues such as polyamory or new ways of relating. Both Al Shami and Gómez admit to feeling represented.
"I, very much, both because of my age and because of the experiences that I have had these years, many of these problems I have suffered while living in Madrid", relates Al Shami, who adds that "in relation to the new ways of relating to each other communication is decisive, it is essential that we dialogue more".
"Before entering 'Valeria' I was a waitress and a tourist guide. Our profession is very unstable, and that is why we fully understand the problems that both characters go through. Living in rent at thirty, waiting for an answer to work, getting money in other jobs while opportunities appear ... ", says the actress, who points out the difficulties that are added when reaching thirty.
"When I turned thirty I also asked myself many questions, the same ones that my generation asks themselves and they appear in the novels and the series. There is social pressure and you wonder if you took the right path, if you should already have a stable job, a home, etc., even if you are sure of what you are doing and are happy with it. "
Gómez considers that many of the problems raised that concern millennials are suffered due to the weight of our parents' generation, but that subsequent generations will no longer be affected as much, because they will have assumed issues such as sex-affective relationships or freedom of decision , with less pressure, of having a partner or children. Another key to the series is its sex scenes, abundant, sensual, but also natural and looking for reality, where not everything is fantastic and passionate.
How did the actors cope with these scenes? "At first it impresses Knowing how many sex scenes you have to deal with and it's scary, but then I felt very comfortable because on set everything was well prepared and the equipment is wonderful, which makes everything more comfortable. "Al Shami also agrees with his partner, "there was a great harmony in the team, I felt at home every day of the shoot, so it is much easier to work".
Both Valeria and Adrián's characters are marking the career of its interpreters, not only because of the legion of followers that the saga has, who are waiting with expectation for this second season, but also because of what it means that a platform like Netflix distributes the series in so many countries in the world.
Ibrahim Al Shami: "I have tried to bring personal aspects of myself to Adrián"
"I try to follow the same preparation method for all the characters, but with this one it is true that sometimes I have had to reflect because I felt that it seemed too much to Adrián, and then there would come a time when I didn't know when Ibrahim ended and when the character began. In that sense, I have tried to bring personal aspects of myself to Adrián ", confesses Ibrahim Al Shami.
Diana Gómez considers that, unlike her other works, she had more time to prepare the character of Valeria, especially in the first season, and about fame she claims not to have noticed much in her day to day life. "With the pandemic we have barely been able to go out and lead a normal life, but on social media I do notice it, for example in the congratulations I receive on Instagram, which is very nice. "
For his part, Al Shami also believes that a little he has noticed that fame, which he is not afraid of. "In the end all of us who work in acting we want our work to look a lot, and that is appreciated. At the moment I have not had any problems, I do not know if in a year I will be able to tell you the same, there are colleagues who through the networks have had unpleasant experiences ".
In addition to this new season of 'Valeria', Al Shami has participated in 'Deudas' (Daniel Écija, 2021), a series that has already been released on Atresplayer Premium and will soon do so on Antena 3, and in the second season of 'Toy Boy' (César Benítez, Juan Carlos Cueto, Rocío Martínez Llano, Ignacio Mercero, 2019), which will be released in the coming months. We asked him about his purposes for the future.
"My passion is cinema And it is what I would like to continue dedicating my time to, however, I also express myself through music and painting, my other two passions. I'd like to make a movie now, but if interesting series projects keep coming out I'll be delighted. " Gómez, who has pending the premiere of the last season of 'La casa de papel' (Álex Pina, 2017), does not rule out working on more series, but now he would like to "keep making moviesAnd if it can be with such talented directors as Mar Coll, who I am passionate about what she does. "
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