Theater has always been his passion since he was six years old, which is why he decided to study dramatic arts in Seville. He arrived in Lanzarote in 2015 to be an entertainer in a hotel and continued pursuing the dream he had since he was a child, working as an actor in different roles. Currently, the Sevillian Luis Garrido, at 34 years old, has consolidated his artistic career and continues to promote it on the island. A vocation that he complements with his job at the Lanzarote Airport, where he manages the boarding and check-in of passengers for different companies.
A theater group from San Bartolomé facilitated his entry into the artistic world in his early years on the island. 'Somos', the theater group for which he has great affection and acknowledges that he owes everything to them. "It has opened many doors for me, from there I started working with many more people in other groups," the actor thanked during an interview in La Voz. He says that it is the group with which he has maintained a very close relationship for years. "They are the only ones with whom I have a more special bond."
An artist dedicated to his profession and to making a professional place for himself in Lanzarote. He confesses that in his beginnings he accepted all the roles that came his way, but today, he is more selective about the interpretive offers that cross his path. “I have done everything, I don't usually say no to anything, although I am trying to be more selective”, he reveals to the newspaper.
A way of managing his work schedule that has led him to know what he wants and not make mistakes of the past. "Before I took all the roles, but now I'm starting to say no," he acknowledges. On occasions, he has been forced to reject some "more interesting" projects for having previously accepted some "less desired" ones. “It has hurt me to have to say no to roles that I liked because I was involved in smaller works,” he says.
The last months of 2023 have been full of projects for the actor. “They have been intense months, but they have been worth it,” he reveals, emphasizing his love for the profession. Proof of this is the number of new roles in which he has tried his luck, thus expanding his career. “Sometimes you are offered interesting things from all sides, you say yes to everything and you find yourself involved in many projects.”
With the arrival of this 2024, he will continue to put all his efforts into advancing as an actor, with the initiation of new projects with which he says he "feels excited". Proof of this is the long list of work that is coming his way. “As of today, I am doing very well in Lanzarote,” he reveals enthusiastically.
He discovered his passion in extracurricular classes
The person responsible for acting being the fundamental pillar of his life is his mother. It was because of her that he began to be interested in acting and why he has been dedicated to it for almost 30 years. "It was my mother who signed me up for theatrical activities," he recalls. As he grew up, he himself was looking for his place in the theatrical world. "I joined a theater group in the neighborhood," he adds.
A hobby to which he has not stopped dedicating himself even with the passage of the years. “I don't remember having stopped acting since I was six years old”, he acknowledges. It has become a daily lifestyle for the artist. “It is part of my person, I cannot conceive of not being able to do theater”, he assures with conviction.
“I cannot conceive of not being able to do theater”
The young man recognizes that in his professional career there is no room to focus on something specific. “I don't have a specific actor profile, I do everything”. His favorite genre is comedy, although he also opts for roles in which drama is the protagonist. "I like to see the audience laugh, it's very gratifying," he says. In the dramatic genre, he believes he is doing a much more internally rewarding job. “It is satisfying to do dramas, something intense when you finish it,” he confesses. He says that for the public it will always be more pleasant to go to see a comedy play. “If you present something more serious or sad, the public leaves with a bittersweet taste,” he adds.
Regarding the idea of continuing to bet on training, he has revealed that "it has crossed his mind". Although he knows that to dedicate himself to it "it is not mandatory to carry out training", he wishes to expand his artistic knowledge. “You never stop learning, also from other unknown branches,” he points out.
He reaffirms that the innate talent of each professional is the perfect ingredient to succeed as an actor. "What influences the most is luck, the star and the talent”. An acting ability that leads him to launch himself into projects such as that of presenter, something that he never imagined some time ago. “Five years ago I didn't think I was going to be able to do it”, he acknowledges.
It was the tribute to Los Buches in El Salinero that awakened his curiosity to be the main conductor of a work. "I narrated the story and conducted the show," he recalls. It was on February 8 for the opening of the Carnival when he discovered an artistic facet of his that he had hidden. “I had no idea and it was a great experience to live it with them”, he confesses.
Future projects in Lanzarote
Garrido's next projects on the island promise to take his career to new horizons. With a dramatic monologue on mental health, which will premiere in October at the Teatro de Tías, he will play the role of a young man who lives day by day with his mother's mental problems. His mission will be to try to help his mother by making a list of the things that make life worth living. "It is a deep and intense monologue," he says. The main message of the monologue is to discover how the boy "compares his adult life with that of a child, that of his mother and his family", adds the actor.
A character that requires a lot of preparation and each actor has his own specific way of working it. In the case of Luis Garrido, his technique is based on making the protagonist's plot his own and adapting it to himself. “I try to make all the works mine and then transform the character into its essence,” he reveals. A way to mark the interpretation with a unique content. “I extrapolate everything to myself, to make it as natural and original as possible”.
The projects that he most enjoys interpreting are those that involve telling "personal experiences". "I like the public to know the personal depth of the character". For this reason, he looks with maximum admiration at works based on lived situations or inspired by people close to the person in charge of giving life to the idea.
In addition, he has other assignments pending that will soon see the light. He has advanced some of the works that he will represent in the coming months. The storytelling that he will lead in the children's library of the Arrecife civic center and the premiere on May 4 of a police drama in El Salinero called 'Constant Rain'.