01/07/2025 - The Spanish filmmaker discusses the filming of his episodic drama, inspired by the tone of 1970s cinema, and his decision to cast actors typically typecast in other genres

Last week, the Spanish film The Nameless [+see also:
series review
interview: Pau Freixas
series profile], directed by Pau Freixas, was presented at the first edition of the Italian Global Series Festival (read more). There, in Riccione, we spoke with the director about this new adaptation of Ramsey Campbell's novel of the same name, starring Miren Ibarguren, Rodrigo de la Serna and Milena Smit, which is now available in Spain on the Movistar Plus+ platform.

Cineuropa: Was it a gamble to give Miren Ibarguren a dramatic role, given that she is typically typecast in comedy?
Pau Freixas: I wouldn’t call it a gamble; she has a talent that goes beyond comedy and manages to win over the audience's sympathy and empathy. Her suffering character creates a special connection with viewers. In fact, when you give an actress a role that's unusual for her career, her motivation tends to be sky high. There's nothing better than someone who's highly motivated to do the job, which was complicated and required introspection and suffering. When an actress gives you something different to comedy, you’re intrigued. That openness to something new connects you more to the character than to the actress, who is revealing a new side of herself to you.

This has always been the case, from Jack Lemmon to José Luis López Vázquez and Alfredo Landa. All of them were capable of shining in comedy, drama and even horror.
If actors can connect with emotion, it’s not so hard for them to connect with their emotional aspects and access their more introspective side. They’re much more versatile, in general, than we give them credit for. We like it when they give us more of the same, but it's great when they can break out of that mould. My vision of an actor has nothing to do with what they’ve done before. When I suggested Miren, I knew she had incredible strength, character and joie de vivre, and I didn't want the mother she plays to be someone suffering from depression. When you observe the traits that define a person and their character, you see how they align.

You’ve added elements to the original novel and Jaume Balagueró's film adaptation; for instance, the detective is Argentinean.
Yes, I've admired Rodrigo de la Serna ever since I saw The Motorcycle Diaries [+see also:
trailer
film profile]: he has emotional testosterone, he's rough yet emotional and sensitive. That gives him a lot of strength. And there are many Argentinians here in Spain: they’re well integrated. He also plays someone who’s looking for a family far from his country, but still cannot fill the void left by his past. And the stolen children of Argentina were also called “The Nameless”: this was a sign. It’s how we brought Rodrigo’s character into the puzzle of the series.

This is a series that harmoniously blends psychology with horror and investigation.
I'm not fully aware of it: sometimes I find it hard to know what we've done. We think about everything during the process, but it's true that it takes years to realise the full extent of what you've done. The balance between investigation and characters comes from the dynamic between Pol Cortecans and me. I like the characters' psychology to be explained, while Pol leans more towards big, impactful events. That’s where we find our equilibrium—in the writing. We also talked with the team about the films of the 1970s, which inspired us. Roman Polanski would have directed it very well, for example. I sometimes seek both sensationalism and depth; that's where my schizophrenia lies. I know that the series contains genre elements, sensitivity and an auteur aspect, as well as being slightly mainstream; I'm someone who wants all of that.

Jaume Balagueró is credited as an executive producer.
Fran Araújo, from Movistar Plus+, had the idea of making a series called The Nameless, and Balagueró and Beto Marini began developing it. But the project didn't come to fruition and was abandoned. Filmax owns the rights though, so I told Pol to start writing. Four years later, I sent Araújo the script. He said they were interested and wanted me to direct it. We didn't work with Jaume again, but we decided to credit him for how important he was to The Nameless and its imagery. He planted a seed that’s still present in the series, so it was only right that his name should appear.

(Translated from Spanish)