Ursula Corbero makes her Hollywood debut: I’m proud of myself

By David Villafranca

Los Angeles, Jul 21 (EFE) .- After triumphing around the world with meticulous and thrilling heists in the Netflix series “La casa de papel”, Spanish actress Ursula Corbero is now making her Hollywood debut in “Snake Eyes”, a spin-off of “GI Joe” in which she is now at the peak – so far – of her career.

“I’ve always been pretty much an enemy of false modesty. So I feel proud of myself, ”she said in an interview with EFE.

“It’s great and I think it’s very healthy to feel proud of yourself, although it seems to me that sometimes it’s not okay to say it openly like that. But I feel that I have made a great effort to achieve what I want, that is to say to be able to devote myself to my vocation, ”she added.

Before bidding farewell to “La casa de papel” at the end of this year, Corbero – who was born in Barcelona in 1989 – will present on Friday in the United States “Snake Eyes: GI Joe Origins”, a film directed by Robert Schwentke , who directed “RED” in 2010, which relaunches the action saga “GI Joe” with the character of Snake Eyes as the protagonist.

Henry Golding, who caused a stir with “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018), heads the cast of this early Snake Eyes tale, also starring Samara Weaving, Andrew Koji and Corbero – playing The Baroness, a clever and cruelly entertaining villain.

Question: In 2021 you make your Hollywood debut and also say goodbye to “La casa de papel”. Do you feel like this is a phase change in your career?

Answer: It’s funny because I felt this cyclical change the whole day we finished filming “La casa de papel”. We’ve all been working with this madness together for almost four years… It’s been a long journey.

Look, what I’m saying is I feel like the end of “La casa de papel” is more of a phase change than my debut in the American (film) industry.

Q: Why did you decide “GI Joe” was the perfect project to debut in Hollywood?

A: It’s very funny because when they sent me the script and offered me the role of La Baronne, the truth is that I didn’t know the universe of “GI Joe” very well. And I think it worked in my favor: I was totally free from any pressure.

But it’s true that when I entered this world, I noticed that it’s something that really touches people.

Above all, I was clear that it had to go well. The Baroness was the first villain I was going to do in my career and having a villain role in your CV was a real “achievement” (laughs). Plus, it was something new and different for me.

Q: Recently you have noticed that there is something “liberating” about portraying an evil character.

A: It’s very liberating because when you play a villain, there are no rules, there are no rules. Everything is fine.

Everything is going well for this woman, even when she is in the most tense situations, when she has to make important decisions. It’s the same for her: she never loses her sense of humor. She always enjoys it.

I said, “Yeah, I think I need a character who likes things because Tokio (his role in“ La casa de papel ”) is just the opposite…” She’s in pain – oh, man, how she suffers! – and I came home suffering too.

So I thought that would be very liberating: being able to play a character like this and take great pleasure in this thing that has (La Baronne) being feminine, powerful and all.

Q: A little over 10 years ago you appeared in “Fisica o quimica” and now, in 2021, you are in Hollywood. How do you feel when you look back?

A: (thinking for a moment) I think I’ve always been pretty much an enemy of false modesty. So, I am proud of myself. It’s very good and I think it’s very healthy to feel proud of yourself, although it seems to me that sometimes it is not well to say it openly like that.