Greta Fernández

Greta Fernández (Barcelona, 1995) doesn’t keep still. Galas, promotions, interviews, fashion productions... A Thief’s Daughter is also a cause for joy. On the small screen, we can enjoy her performance in Foodie Love, the series by Isabel Coixet, and soon in 30 Coins, still to be released by Álex de la Iglesia.

Her leading role in Belén Funes’ directorial debut has given her the Concha de Plata Award at the San Sebastian Festival and made her a nominee for the Gaudí Awards, José María Forqué, Feroz and the Goya Awards, where she’ll be competing for Best Actress against Penelope Cruz, Marta Nieto and Belén Cuesta, three actors she admires and whom she considers “have done a wonderful job”. These awards overwhelm the artist, who admits that she feels “elated because I didn’t expect this small, low-budget film, which was hard to get off the ground, to be so well-received. It gives us hope to see that these kinds of projects don’t go unnoticed”, she highlights.

Despite so much praise at such a young age, Greta Fernández’s feet are firmly on the ground. “Awards don’t secure your future or guarantee anything. What really matters is the visibility they give you. For me, for example, the Concha de Plata has put me on the map,” she says. A lesson that she has learnt from her father, actor Eduard Fernández, with whom she shares screen time in A Thief’s Daughter. He’s been nominated for a Goya ten times and taken it home twice, and he’s been nominated again this year for Best Supporting Actor in While at War. “My father has taught me to be patient and that things are hard. Also, that in this profession, you can never let your guard down, and sometimes you have to play things down”. But, above all, he has instilled in Greta what is now key to the job for her: “to never lose the essence of what I do, because sometimes glamour can be misleading. He’s in charge of reminding me that if this is my job, that it’s only for the acting,” she insists.

This advice has helped her when filming together. “It’s been lovely to be able to work together. We’ve also managed to have a very professional relationship throughout, more than we expected. We’ve gotten along really well, always paying attention to the director in a difficult film, a story that gives the audience freedom and that I honestly didn’t think would be so well-received”. The actor dove into both the shooting and the role of Sara. “When I’m in the middle of filming, I find it hard to focus on anything else. On my weekends off, I would feel out of sorts, exhausted and with my character’s energy,” she remembers, but also adds: “Mind you, at the end of filming, I let go of my character”.

Greta Fernández in a still from the film ‘A Thief’s Daughter’

Greta Fernández tries but fails to remember the exact moment she decided she wanted to become an actor. “When I was 13 or 14, my father’s agent asked me if I wanted to go to a casting. It wasn’t something that I was crazy about, until further on I started to consider it as a career path and about two years ago I made the decision. The fact is, it’s hard to convince yourself if you don’t have the chance to show what you can do or prove what you’re worth”, she explains.

In only three years, this actor from Barcelona has had de chance to show off her talent onstage at the theatre with Amanda T by Àlex Mañas; in TV series such as Killing the Father or Cuéntame cómo pasó, and in film, with titles such as The Next Skin or Elisa & Marcela, the film by Isabel Coixet in which she plays a leading role. For now, film and TV are the formats where she feels “most comfortable”, although she’s not closing any doors. “If the project is of good quality, I don’t mind if the format is film, TV or theatre,” she assures us.

Like a chip off the old block, the actor also doesn’t rule out becoming a writer like her mother Esmeralda Berbel. “Since I was little and for six years, I have kept a diary. I love writing, although I’m not sure if I would gravitate more towards literature or screenwriting. I’m also not sure what story I want to tell, but what I do know is that it won’t be long before I try it. Writing is a wonderfully freeing art”.

As well as acting and writing, she’s also passionate about film editing, photography, cooking and fashion. She confesses that, for now, she can’t see herself doing anything other than acting. Nevertheless, she doesn’t rule out that some of these hobbies might become a professional backup plan in the future. “I’ve loved fashion since I was a child and I enjoy dressing up, especially now that I have to attend many galas and events. Fashion is important to me, within reason. When it comes to photography, it’s a hobby I find entertaining; I love taking photos of my friends and the places I visit”.

It’s precisely this passion for photography which explains her active presence online. In her opinion, social media is an effective instrument to help to show off your work. So, on Instagram, Greta Fernández combines film work, fashion productions and collaborations with a coherent aesthetic. To date, she has 122.5 K followers. Next to nothing.

Both social media and the awards contribute more and more to her face becoming familiar to many. But she has higher hopes. Greta thinks big and confesses that, if everything carries on as it has been going up until now, she plans to try her luck on the other side of the pond. “For now, I’m waiting to see where I’m going, but I’m open to offers”. Place your bets.