From masterminding elaborate heists for a global TV audience to sharing intimate moments with 640 theatergoers nightly, Álvaro Morte is embracing a different kind of dramatic tension in London’s West End.
During a break at London’s Duke of York’s Theatre, where he stars opposite “Emily in Paris” lead Lily Collins in the play “Barcelona,” the Spanish “Money Heist” actor reflects on his return to theater after a decade dominated by screen work. “I love the vibe,” he tells Variety. “I love the people from many places all around, together in this wonderful, vibrant city.”
The play, which follows a late-night encounter between an American tourist and a Spaniard, provides Morte with a complex character harboring multiple layers. “It gave me the opportunity to perform a guy that is, in a way, performing two things at the same time,” he says. “When you have a character that you can keep discovering layers and layers, it’s always something very interesting for any actor.”
While avoiding spoilers about the plot, which evolves from what appears to be a casual encounter into something more politically charged, Morte offers that the play touches on significant historical events in Spain. “I’m so happy that I can perform a Spanish guy who is talking about something very important that happened in Spain a few years ago,” he says.
The intimate Duke of York’s Theatre, seating around 640 people, has proven ideal for the production. “The stage is very connected to the audience,” Morte explains. “You feel embraced by the audience, and I can feel how connected we are with the people.” This connection has already yielded memorable moments — after a recent performance, he met a fan who had traveled from Japan to see the show. “What you want to do as an actor is please, I want to make it worth it for her to come from Japan,” he says.
Working with Collins has been a highlight of the experience. Before accepting the role, Morte arranged a Zoom call with her — he in Mallorca, she in Copenhagen — to ensure they had enough chemistry for the demanding two-person play, which is 90 minutes without an interval.
“I need to feel like we can work together,” he says. “It was very easy from the beginning. She’s so nice, she’s lovely, she’s funny, she’s an amazing professional and amazing actress. It’s been such a wonderful experience to be working with her.”
Morte’s theatrical roots run deep in Spain, where he began his career working alongside stars like Concha Velasco and with celebrated directors including Andrés Lima and José Tamayo. He later founded his own theater company, 300 Pistolas, directing and performing in Spanish classics from Lope de Vega’s “El Perro del Hortelano” to Federico García Lorca’s “La Casa de Bernarda Alba.”
The transition back to stage work has required adjusting his performance style. “There are some bases that come from the same place in terms of how to find the emotions,” he says. “But the language is completely different. There are some things that you can do in front of the camera, like very little nuances, that you have to find a way to make work in the theater, you have to reach the last row in the theater. It’s a completely different code that you use when you are on stage.”
Director Lynette Linton has created what Morte describes as “a very safe and comfortable place to work and to develop your creativity as an actor.” Playwright Bess Wohl was present during rehearsals to help optimize the text and ensure the play would be “understood and enjoyable for the audience,” Morte says.
Since global Netflix hit “Money Heist,” where he played The Professor, Morte’s career has expanded internationally. “It changed completely in terms of beginning to get international offers, and to be able to work with directors or acting colleagues that I dreamt of working with years ago,” he says. One such dream collaboration is his upcoming film “Ocho” with acclaimed Spanish director Julio Medem.
“I was in the school studying dramatic art when I was young, and I was in love with Julio Medem’s work,” Morte recalls. “He called me once, like, ‘Hey, this is Julio Medem,’ and he said, ‘I got this character that I wrote thinking about my father, and I would be very honored if you would do that.’”
Additionally, Morte stars in the upcoming spy film “Raqa” directed by Gerardo Herrero, delivering dialogue in English, Spanish and Arabic. “I had to learn those lines in Arabic like someone who is not Arab, but someone who’s been a long time in those countries,” he says. “It was a huge challenge.”
There are also plans to produce, but for now, Morte’s focus is firmly on “Barcelona” and connecting with West End audiences. “My purpose … is to make them forget everything about the rest of their lives and just enjoy the play here, all of us here together,” he says.
“Barcelona” is on at the Duke of York’s Theatre through Jan. 11.
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