After a whirlwind year marked by back-to-back successes in Élite and Olympo, NUNO GALLEGO sits down to reflect on a life that has shifted at lightning speed. Since Élite premiered last year, the Spanish actor has been navigating the balance between sudden fame and staying grounded, keeping his focus firmly on storytelling rather than the noise around it. Away from the screen, he’s someone who thrives on adventure and extremes —whether that means sleeping in a car at minus fifteen degrees in Iceland or preparing to get his diving licence in Crete. Fear, he insists, doesn’t define him, though he admits to an unexpected unease around jellyfish. In Olympo, he portrays a character whose physical strength masks deep insecurities, a man driven – and sometimes blinded – by love. Over coffee, we talk about travel, mental health, and the fine line between loving someone and idealising them.
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It's rare to be able to take a break and chat quietly for a while…
Yes, I don't have much free time, but I try to get away whenever I can for a short trip. Soon, I'm going to Crete to get my diving licence.
Nora, Carrie Coon's character in The Leftovers, explained in one of the last episodes that committing suicide while diving is special because no one knows if it was an accident or on purpose. That always comes to mind.
Don't tease me! How scary! [Laughs]
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Right? [Laughs]
Plus, we're going with a group of friends in an RV, like in a horror film.
I don't know if blondes usually survive slasher films.
I'd let you live if I were the screenwriter.
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Thank you very much! Tell me a little about where you are in your life right now.
It's been a year of huge changes. Around this time last year, Élite was released, and since then, everything has been in constant motion. Then Olympo came along, and it was crazy. I remember going to a campsite and people asking for photos all the time...
And how have you changed?
Not much, to be honest. Essentially, I'm still the same person.
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Being in two series like Élite and Olympo so close together, it was predictable your life would change quite a bit.
Yes, but I’ve never given much importance to all that. I prefer to focus on the artistic side: that people like the work, that it moves them, that it makes them feel something… rather than the media side. Which, in the end, is always there, especially with series like these, but I try not to give it more weight than necessary.
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Are you taking care of your mental health?
By getting away now and then, travelling, or simply staying home a lot. Reading, watching films… Avoiding places where I know it’ll be stressful, at least until this stage passes.
Travelling is wonderful.
I love travelling. I like to experience the place I visit to the fullest —and if it’s extreme, even better. For example, going to Crete for my diving licence or spending five days lost in the Amazon jungle. One trip I remember was with Juan Perales to Iceland in February, the middle of winter, with extremely low temperatures. We planned nothing, didn’t even know the points of interest; we went completely blind. We ended up driving the entire Route 1 around the island. Some nights we drove eight hours on icy roads… we almost killed ourselves. We slept in the car at minus fifteen. Crazy, but one of the most beautiful trips of my life: that mix of harshness and beauty.
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I get the feeling you're not a fearful person.
Not at all. I respect some things, especially extreme ones, and I try to face them with a clear head. But fear as such… not much.
Oh, I’m sure you have some fears.
Jellyfish. They’re the only thing that makes me think, “Holy shit.” It’s irrational, like I can’t understand it. I see one while diving, and it feels alien. But I wouldn’t call it fear. As a child, I was very afraid of the dark. I always had to sleep with a little light on. Now I’m not sure if it was the darkness itself or feeling alone at night.
Speaking of fears. Your Olympo character seems physically ready to face anything, but mentally, he’s easily manipulated, letting himself be carried away by passion without thinking of the consequences.
I think we all have a façade. Not just physical —you can seem the toughest, the least vulnerable, and still be the one with the most fears. This character may be imposing on the outside, but inside, he’s a factory of insecurities and problems that make him easy to persuade.
Would you say love is your character’s main motivation?
Yes. He does everything for her, to be good enough for her. He makes mistakes, doesn’t know how to handle his emotions, but everything he does is out of love for her.
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Where is the line between loving and idealising someone?
When love deprives you of something or hurts you, even minimally. Love should be clean and pure in all its facets. If it causes you harm or limits you, it’s no longer love.
But sometimes love isn’t part of the decisions we make, and we still have to make them.
I think all decisions should carry some love in them. And I’m not just talking about romantic love; there are many other kinds that can guide us.
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Interview by Juan Marti
Photography by Andrew Jim
Fashion by Sergi Padial
Production by Juan Marti
EIC Michael Marson
Creative Direction by Andrew Jim & Pablo Ventura
Grooming by Natalia Belda using Saigu Cosmetics
Photographer’s assistant Tania Mendoza
Stylist’s assistant Manuel Pérez
Production assistants Avgustina Agronina and Leticia Guajardo
