How did you pull your cast together? Were any roles particularly challenging to fill?
The casting was pulled together thanks to the amazing Carol Dudley and Miguel Fernandez. I knew I wanted Clara Lago in the film. I’ve always been a big admirer of her work, and getting to meet her and work with her was a dream come true. I wanted a North American actor who was a recognizable face for the audience, who understood the nuances of North American culture perfectly, and who could play the fish out of water character perfectly. Also, he could combine the tempo of comedy and the physicality of it, plus the emotional depth of the internal conflict he was going through. As for the Dominican actors, I’m ashamed to say I didn’t know any of them, but when I saw the tapes, I fell in love with all of them; I remember seeing Nashla, Hector, Luis Jose, Kat, David, and Yasser and wanting them in the movie immediately. They are incredible. It was great to work with them; they are such amazingly talented artists, and it’s an honor to be able to call them my friends now. This is one of those magic things about making movies; you get to meet new people who become friends and get to know and see amazing new places.
What do you think is the secret to a successful Rom-Com?
Well, I think one of the secrets is good casting and good chemistry between everyone in the cast. That was something we definitely had on Books & Drinks. What I tried to do as a director was also embrace whatever they had to bring to their character. In rehearsals, when there was time to play, if things that felt real came up, I would try to add them to the script so they could add a layer to the character or the story. Having those ten days of rehearsals with the actors was crucial for the film. Then, on set, I tried to focus on getting that chemistry and spontaneity in camera, creating a shot list that would interfere the least with them while also trying to be expressive and convey my visual narrative ideas about the scenes, the film, and the character’s evolution. Also, having a good script is essential. Josep Ciutat’s premise, setting, tone, and wit were great. A gift for the actors and myself. Great material to work from.
“I’m a hopeless romantic; I believe in romance.”
From specifically your experience with Books and Drinks, what advice would you give to an emerging filmmaker wanting to make a romance?
Well, I’m a hopeless romantic; I believe in romance. I fought to get back with my high school sweetheart, and now we’ve been together for 14 years, and we’ve been married since 2019. What I mean by this is that to do a romance, you need to be romantic, feel the story, and connect with the emotion and what the characters go through. I remember talking a lot with the actors about personal life experiences that helped us ground each and every character. I would also recommend going back to the classic Rom Coms, and I’m not only talking about great ones from the ’80s and ’90s, of which there are so many, but also from the 30s to the 70s. I re-watched It Happened One Night, The Shop Around the Corner, Roman Holiday, Marty, An Affair to Remember, The Apartment, Annie Hall… All of those are just fantastic must-see masterpieces that also help us in our day-to-day lives.
What are you working on next?
I’m now working on a true crime documentary series for Movistar called Light in the Darkness, created by showrunner Carles Porta. We’re also developing a new comedy starring Clara Lago and written by Goya award winner Luis Marias that will be a co-production between the Dominican Republic and Spain. And I’m currently writing a script for a very personal Rom-Com that I’m putting a lot of myself into and that I’ve wanted to direct for years.
