Before the premiere of the second season of the series, which is already available on the platform and whose final chapter will be available on September 10, Life and Style interviewed Cristo Fernández, who from Los Angeles, shared some anecdotes about the creation of the character and what it has meant to interpret him.
Life and Style (LS): How does it feel, after having dedicated part of your life to pursuing a career as a professional footballer, to see yourself today playing one as a professional actor?
Cristo Fernández (CF): I can’t quite believe it. My sister always told me that thanks to Ted lasso he was already going to see me on television playing soccer. I wanted to dedicate myself to that sport in a professional way, but I had some injuries that prevented it. However, soccer was always part of my life. I got depressed, like many athletes when faced with this type of situation, and at some point I tried to separate myself from it completely because I started a new facet with new dreams and new goals. For many years, my friends invited me to play soccer and I didn’t want to. When I moved to London they invited me to play and I went for a couple of months, but no more. But who was to say that soccer would give me my first big break as an actor despite trying to put it aside? However, it was always there and without knowing I prepared for this role all my life. Sometimes we don’t understand why things happen, but everything has a reason. I can only thank football, my family, my friends and all the people who have always believed in me and who have trusted in my crazy dreams.
(LS): Where does your love for soccer come from?
(CF): My grandmother was the one who taught me to play soccer. I started walking in the garage of my house. My parents worked and I grew up all my childhood with my grandmother and my aunt. She was the one who taught me to kick the ball. He was from Sinaloa and spoke with great enthusiasm. I think my taste for comedy comes from her and my mom. She was the one who taught me to kick and thanks to her I learned to play soccer.
(LS): What is in the future of Dani Rojas and Cristo Fernández?
(CF): We already have the third season on the horizon and my goal is to prepare as well as possible. Although they have said that this will be the last season, I want to do my best and I am going to prepare myself to the fullest in terms of football. It is planned for next year, but we still do not know exactly when it will be filmed. I want to do my best and honor this side of me, this character and a sport that has given me so much satisfaction. I am also looking for opportunities as a filmmaker and as a writer; I’m pursuing other projects, because I still have a lot to give.
(LS): Which footballers have been your inspiration to create the character of Dani?
(CF): Right now, I think Raúl Jiménez is the only Mexican in the Premier League. Without a doubt, he has been an inspiration as a Mexican, as a Latino. He is also very smiling and very charismatic. Although he had a strong injury, now he is giving him all the desire to return. Also “El Chicharito” left his mark and he is also a very charismatic character from Guadalajara, the city from which I am originally. They both definitely inspired me. Among Latino soccer players, I think Ronaldinho is someone who is also smiling all the time and I remember him as my inspiration when he was a kid. I think the three of them are the ones who helped me give Dani Rojas a personality.