March 2, 2023, 8:37 AM
March 2, 2023, 8:37 AM
Ruben Renato Condori, The Bolivian who is part of the Argentine series División Palermo, from Netflix, is a film, theater and television actor with 10 years of experience in art. The young actor in this eight-part series, which was released on February 17 of this year, he spoke with EL DEBER.
Born on September 25, 1989 in La Paz, Rubén Renato studied at the Republic of France Educational Unit, located in the city of La Paz, and is the second child in a family of four siblings.
He is the only one in his family dedicated to art and, although at first she did not have the full support of her parents to dedicate herself to acting, now she does have the full support of her loved ones.
However, his dream was not always to be an actor. At first, he wanted to be a footballer; “But due to problems with my eyesight I had to ‘hang up the horns,'” the artist recalled with a smile in an interview with DUTY.
At the age of 18 he decided to dedicate himself to acting professionally despite the fact that he was very shy at school.
To pay for his studies he worked in different activities. “Well, Here in Bolivia it is very difficult to live from art (…) and to have an income, yes or yes, you have to have an extra job“, he pointed.
“That is how I worked on many things to train as an actor, I carried boxes of backpacks, I sold clothes in galleries, I was a messenger in a printing press, I was also a waiter and the last time I worked in a (private) security company, “he added.
In parallel, he applied, as he said, “mostly because of his father”, to three university degrees: Petrochemicals, Computer Science and Business Administration. He then studied film at UMSA for four years and trained for two years at the Hollywood Academy of Performing Arts (HAPA) in La Paz.
In his first steps in the cinema, He participated as an extra in the film “Forgotten”, starring the renowned actress Carla Ortiz. “There I was a soldier; I saw cranes, cameras and all that moved me, so I said: this is what I want, ”she emphasized.
He then got his first role in Reneco, Fabio and Gazelle, and continued his work in 1879’s Allegory of Claim, The Names, Liturgy, Exploration and Denisse, respectively.
He also participated in the series Picante Surtido and recently in División Palermo, released by Netflix on February 17 of this year.
Renato Condori in full swing at the Palermo Division. Photo: Courtesy.
How did it come to Netflix?
In November 2021, through a WhatsApp group, he found out about a casting. “The person who was looking for an actor is Leticia Valdez (her current representative). First I sent my photos, my resume and then they sent me a script, ”she explained.
Then he should have sent a precasting video, but he couldn’t record in the established time because there was no one to help him.
Finally, he managed to send the material several days late after filming his pre-casting, with the help of a neighbor, in the very security guard booth where he worked.
Nevertheless, was on the laggard list for sending late the video and the second week of January 2022, Valdez contacted him and told him that he passed the precasting.
But there was still a final casting with the directors of the Argentine production and He did that test via Zoom.
“In addition to that casting, I had to record with my cell phone and I did not have help to film either, (so I asked) a friend for support. I took all the furniture out of my room, I put two white canvases on the wall and I borrowed lights because I wanted it to be very professional and (the directors) were surprised because I put together a studio, ”he said.
He described this test as “the longest casting of his life” because, according to his version, over and over again they made him repeat a scene.
“There came a point where I got frustrated, I didn’t know what I was doing wrongin the end I let go and they told me the typical thing: thank you for participating, we are going to communicate with you, “he said.
Days later, on January 14, they informed him that he had passed that test and his now representative told him to pack his bags to travel to Argentina.
“I recently found out that the casting had been for a Netflix series and that they had chosen me, I was in tearsI remembered so many negative things that had happened; It is as if they had told me just yesterday, until now I am moved, it is the happiest news of my life, I would never have thought to be there, “said Condori almost on the verge of tears.
After the good news, he quit his security job and on Carnival Monday of that same year he traveled after his dream.
“For the first time I had gotten on a plane and I spent three months (working) in Argentina in the Palermo Division series.where I played a Bolivian character named Mario”, he specified.
Currently, he is still assimilating the experience he had in the Argentine series and, in parallel, he is preparing a script for a new project.
Renato Condori plays Mario in División Palermo. Photo: Courtesy.
