(photographer: Goncarlo F. Santos)
DIOGO MORGADO
A windup watch from his grandfather sparked his curiosity. The actor, after conquering Hollywood and having been on the sofa of Oprah Winfrey, confesses he is fascinated by the poetry of time and writing. Hence he is now becoming the face of Montblanc.
A windup watch from his grandfather sparked his curiosity. The actor, after conquering Hollywood and having been on the sofa of Oprah Winfrey, confesses he is fascinated by the poetry of time and writing. Hence he is now becoming the face of Montblanc.
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"Since 15 years old I've been fighting against my image."
He could have been an athlete or an architect.
Turned out to be an actor. At the age of 32, Diogo Morgado is one of the names of the moment. Played Jesus in an American series, in another, "Revenge," a mysterious doctor, and he sat on Oprah's couch. Prestige attracts prestige and joined Diogo Morgado and Montblanc, in a partnership that served to ignite a conversation that began about his Grandpa's windup watch and ended with childhood spent in Alentejo.
(Text by: Maria Céu de Carvalho/Photos by Goncarlo F. Santos/Styling by: Filipe Carriço)
The smell of chocolate cake fresh from the oven hits my nostrils as soon as I step into the door. I climb the wooden stairs onto the first floor, occupied by Casa Independente, a new space that has hints of "trendy," in what was, until recently, the little recommended Largo do Intendente. The noise of a camera shooting accompanies me on the steps, up the stairs. In the main room, there are chests of grandmother drawers with quirky objects on top, a fan doilies, and an old phone. There are paintings on the wall. A lot of trinkets and a balcony overlooking the street. Sitting in an old barber chair, Diogo Morgado poses for "Fora de Série." Black Suit, Montblanc pen in his left hand, his watch, also evidence of the brand. The actor, who fell into the good graces of the U.S. when he played Jesus Christ in the series "The Bible" -- seen by over 100 million people worldwide, is the latest "friend" of Montblanc. The brand, focused more than ever on watches, set the tone for a long conversation, which started off in the present time and covered all others. And yes, we also talked about Oprah.
With so many brands in the world, why did you choose to partner with Montblanc?
DM: Montblanc is the mark of excellence. I receive several requests for co-branding and my agency takes care to realize what it is that interests me, because I do not like to associate myself with things just because. In the case of Montblanc, there's a side of time and writing that's a bit poetic and metaphorical. Things are done with a level of absolute accuracy. It's amazing, and often people have no notion, from the temperature of the room, the gloves, of all the tools that are used. In the case of watches, for example, they are pieces. It's the difference between a watch and a piece.
You identify with the brand, with its values?
DM: I identify with what the brand is. A brand that began with pens, as this timeless dimension of writing that passed on to watches. I like the concept and this classical side.
Do you have any Montblanc products?
DM: Had a pen, some time ago. I don't collect much, I'm more into single pieces. I fall in love with a certain object, and that is it, I do not need to have many.
How does this partnership work?
DM: I am a friend of the brand, so to speak. I have some privilege with respect to access to products.
With so many brands in the world, why did you choose to partner with Montblanc?
DM: Montblanc is the mark of excellence. I receive several requests for co-branding and my agency takes care to realize what it is that interests me, because I do not like to associate myself with things just because. In the case of Montblanc, there's a side of time and writing that's a bit poetic and metaphorical. Things are done with a level of absolute accuracy. It's amazing, and often people have no notion, from the temperature of the room, the gloves, of all the tools that are used. In the case of watches, for example, they are pieces. It's the difference between a watch and a piece.
You identify with the brand, with its values?
DM: I identify with what the brand is. A brand that began with pens, as this timeless dimension of writing that passed on to watches. I like the concept and this classical side.
Do you have any Montblanc products?
DM: Had a pen, some time ago. I don't collect much, I'm more into single pieces. I fall in love with a certain object, and that is it, I do not need to have many.
How does this partnership work?
DM: I am a friend of the brand, so to speak. I have some privilege with respect to access to products.
And we'll see you at brand events, for example?
DM: The partnership is establishing itself now. How I identify with Montblanc –- and hopefully vice-versa -- but if there are invitations for situations like that, sure.
Montblanc is investing a lot in watches – this is the year of the watch for the brand. Is that a product that speaks to you?
DM: It is. I like watches. I have a relationship with them that's a little bit strange, because I see them as pieces. And as pieces I do not always wear them.
It is like the pens, for example.
DM: Good pens are always at home. I have in my office and use them there, and nowhere else.
But you don't have many watches?
DM: No. I have some and they are the ones I like.
It is difficult for me to fall in love with things, but when I fall, that's it. I have them as pieces, not a collection, because I do not search for them, but I like the metaphor of the piece itself, the object that marks time. And this piece is uniquely associated with time -- to control time, to dictate the time.
What does a watch need to have to be on your wrist?
DM: It must have charisma. Cannot be too ostentatious, be simple but have a detail that makes it different.
Do you remember your first watch?
Do you remember your first watch?
DM: I do remember. It was my grandfather's. It was a wind-up watch. My grandfather gave it to my father and my father gave it to me when I was about 11-12 years old. It's very simple, I don't remember the brand, but it's one of those old, white, with the numbers and hands in gold.
And you wore it?
DM: I wore, I wore it. My father gave me a watch, and I wore it. Was cool wearing the watch. Then when I started to realize that this was more than a watch, I stopped wearing it. It became like a pen that stays at home.
How important is time?
DM: Of all of the abstract things, time is the one I spend the most time thinking about. Everything that has to do with time fascinates me too: stories, movies ... It fascinates me because time is really relative. For example, I grew up outside of Lisbon and lived in Lisbon about six months. And in those six months, time was different. Five, six minutes in Lisbon are two minutes where I live. Time flies when we are surrounded by too much hustle-and-bustle (pause). Look how terrific! Why did I say hustle-and-bustle? Maybe because it fits here. Hustle-and-bustle also has rhythm (laughs.)
Does the passing of time scare you?
DM: Does not scare me, but I'm very nostalgic, which is one thing that bothers me a little. Even on the musical level, I prefer the 80's and 90's (years.) Very little of today pleases me, musically.
Now that you mention it, what do you listen to?
DM: I like Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, AC / DC, Supertramp, Guns N'Roses. I even like Bon Jovi! Meat Loaf I like, Eric Calpton, Joe Cocker and Michael Jackson, the great king. I like that. Nowadays I listen to very little.
A free day allows you to do what?
DM: Nowadays I can't even conceive of a free day without being with my son. And preferably, at home. I really like being at home. Very much so. Never been fascinated by travel, for example. I like, and I am fortunate that what I do has provided me with a lot of traveling, but I've never had that thing: "Eh pá, I now have some money, I'll travel." Cars, I have a Smart Car and a Vespa. I've never been one to spend money on cars. But the house, to me, it's very important, to feel comfortable at home.
How were the minutes before entering the studio to be interviewed by Oprah? I remember seeing the video and Diogo, you said you could barely breathe...
DM: I said that? Really? I do not remember. Maybe I exaggerated a bit, but it was very good. Very good. Oprah is a person you really like. There are people who are known for their work, nowadays there are people who are known for being known, and then there's Oprah. She is known for the work she's done, but more so for her charisma and for who she is, how she behaves, what she says, how she treats people, the causes she embraces.
You liked her?
DM: Always. Always loved Oprah. Since SIC Mulher aired her show, which I watch. She and Ellen DeGeneres. They're different formats - Ellen is more for fun, more relaxed - but Oprah is undoubtedly someone special.
How did you react to the invitation to go on her show?
I was very pleased. But I'll be honest: i was not totally surprised. I knew she was watching the series "The Bible," and that she had liked what I had done, and that it was a subject that touched her. When the invitation came about from that fact it was not a huge surprise. It was more: "Good, good, it is going to happen!" Being there was a secret dream.
Were you very impressed with the structure behind the program?
I was. The team arrived at the scene two days before the interview. I knew, because the producer called me and told me they were there to do the lighting, to study the plans. It was just three days to put everything together. Suddenly I get there and there are cranes, three chambers, the best-lights that are balanced to the skin tone of each person. It is serious. Do not fail at anything. After Oprah arrives, they are very prepared. She know exactly what she wants to ask, how to ask, aware of the "background" of each. The production asked SIC for footage of my past work, to know what I had done.
I am curious what your participation in "The Bible." where you played Jesus Christ, with what you've wondering or questioning, has clarified for you. What has changed?
DM: I think maybe hope. When I learned that I got the role, I soon realized that this would have a big impact on me on a personal level. I was a little more pessimistic. Thought that one person could never make a difference, that to achieve change something had to be done with a group of people united in a will, and today I do not think that. If we are all waiting for each other, things will never change. And I believe that one person can change things and inspire people to wake them from their dormant state.
How do you interpret the great misfortunes, the great injustices -- such as the death of a child, a baby born sick...
DM:...cancer. That was my biggest struggle inside. "If God is all this, why there are people who die of cancer?"
And why?
DM: This was perhaps the hardest journey to explore, for me. And I tell you this: when a child dies of cancer, for example -- except for the parents, because they do not even want to imagine what it is -- has an impact on the lives of people who are around them; makes these people deem more value to what they have. I think the things that happen, bad and tragic, also have the function of awakening and putting things in perspective, to mobilize. Because we, when we are born, the only certainty we have is that we will die. There is no privileged. If time is indeed relative, what good is being 30 years into a life that tells us nothing? Maybe in two years a person lives more. Why do we say "poor thing, they had so little time?" Maybe this person had much more life than someone with 80 years. Maybe more experiences, maybe felt more. Our established idea that more is better, is not right. And there is ample proof that it is not right.
You put so much into this project, you did not much like the early reviews of your participation -- and that they pointed more to the fact of your being "hot" than being "Jesus?"
DM: (laughs) It was noticed that I did not like that much, was it?
Yes ..
DM: I started at age 15 without any experience and came supposedly from a modeling agency. Since 15 years old I've been fighting against my image. It is not what should matter.
And you believe that it is not the image that opens doors?
DM: I believe that. I believe, because we have many examples of people who are not pleasing to the eye and they are wonderful. Robert De Niro is not the best looking guy in the world. Al Pacino is not the best looking guy in the world. Dustin Hoffman is not the best looking guy in the world. Tom Hanks is not the best looking guy in the world. And they are all at the top. And then there are beautiful actors -- or considered beautiful by the world -- like Brad Pitt, for example, who are also fighting against it. Use (the image) when you have to use it, because it is a tool. If you have it, you can use it. But do not make it a banner.
And when you did “Malucos do Riso” for example -- as you did for two years, this was an attempt to debunk the importance of your image?
DM: No, just trying to work. Do stuff. I didn't think about about the rest.
Think no one notices your image when you do a role like those (Malucos do Riso)?
DM: I do not waste two seconds thinking about it. In my house I only have one mirror, which is in the bathroom. I hate mirrors.
You do not deal well with your image?
DM: It is not a matter of dealing poorly, I just do not identify. The person I feel I am is not what is there in that picture. So I feel comfortable when I act. Because I can see something other than myself. It's easier to feel comfortable with my image at work.
In a documentary made about you for The Biography Channel, Teresa Guilherme (producer of "Vingança"), said at one point, that Diogo wins every "casting" (auditions.)
DM: She called me the pope of "casting" (laughs.)
It seems to me a good compliment. How do you think this happened?
DM: First of all, I do not set out to do auditions for things that I do not think are right for me. And the few times it happened and I did do them thinking that it was not for me -- I did so knowing that it could develop things that otherwise could not develop. Because we can not always be comfortable, feel "This is just my element." But back to your question, I think you have to have truth, find the truth. There is one thing for me that is vital: not wanting to do things based on the expectations of anyone. If you give me a task to do, I do not think, "What will Mariana want?" If you gave me something to do, I do it because I believe I can do it. And I'll do what I believe -- the way I proposed myself to do it. Then you can tell me: "Diogo, that was not it." But I'm going with what I told myself I was going to do. And I'm willing to discuss it. I've gotten jobs where the audition was just a detail. In the United States, this happened at least once: I'll was talking to the Director and he asked me "what did you think of the script?"And I said: "That part I don't like." After doing the scene, I defended my proposals. There's a reason, and I will explain it. Maybe it has to do with that, I don't know.
You were pre-nominated for the Emmys in the same category as Al Pacino. At the time, you wrote on your Facebook page that the biggest prize was to have your name next to the "master." Is he a benchmark for you?
DM: He and Marlon Brando are my top benchmarks.
If you see the "Scarface," for example... There is a great script, there is a great story. But the guy makes the film. And he makes the film in a way that no one else could do. There is a side of authenticity and charisma. He's like Marlon Brando. They are individuals ahead of their time. They are the true geniuses.
When I learned of your success in the United States, I, and I believe many Portuguese like me, thought we'd lost you. And yet, eventually returned to be on a novela on SIC. Is that a step back or is this just a very Portuguese judgment to think it is?
DM: It is. I think it is very provincial, very small (thinking.) For me it is all about ego, it boils down to ego. If you ask me what I want out of life, I say: to be healthy, my family, to have money to buy my stuff, and to like what I do every day.
And it is the same, here or there?
DM: Exactly. I am one of the privileged few who is lucky enough to have that (to do what you love).
And you like Lisbon?
DM: Like much of Lisbon, in perspective. I like to come, walk, go to museums, to a bar. Like the day in Lisbon and the Lisbon nightlife, touring Lisbon. I love shooting in Lisbon. But not to live. Because living, for me, is synonymous with rest, reflection, peace, put my thoughts in order, to regroup. And a person who is here (in Lisbon), it seems is always in a race. It's like trying to walk when everyone is running, you know? I said, "Wait. I just want to walk. "
You have a strong connection to Alentejo. You lived there?
DM: I spent the summer holidays there, always. My father and my father's family are from Alentejo.
This affected you?
DM: Affected me. Nowadays there are very few children who have total freedom, without fear of anything. I grew up on the street, playing in the street. When it was starting to get dark, my mother went to the window, called me and I came. This does not exist today. Even the place where I live today this is no longer so. No longer no fear, because there is danger. People become much more closed off about themselves, individualistic, with other types of recreational activities, which is reflected in the taste, the way people interact with each other.
Alentejo was synonymous with freedom, then.
DM: Yes. They'd come to me and say: "Go wherever you want. Do whatever you want, wherever you want." Everyone knew it. My mother would go to the street and ask, "Did you see Diogo?" Ask here, ask there, and find me in 5 minutes. And then there's another thing. I have always enjoyed eating. And the phrase "Poor is the mouth that does not have two lunches" was one of my favorite quotes. Between 11-11:55am I went my aunt's house: "So son already had lunch? "No." "Then sit down here." Bam, bam, bam (ate whatever she gave him). "So bye aunt." Went to my cousin's house. 1:30 pm. "So? Already had lunch? "and I said "I have." "Sit here." "But I've had lunch." "Poor is the mouth that does not have two lunches." Bam, bam, bam (ate second lunch).
After going for a coffee somewhere. "Have you had lunch?" And I say "I have." "Have you eaten cake? Sit here." And I "But ..." "Shut up. Sit here!" Bam, bam, bam. It was 4pm and I was still at lunch. Beginning at noon. Eh pa ... was so cool ....
And you were a good student?
DM: I was a good student in that I had good grades, not in the sense of having a great method.
So you did the minimum amount of work needed to pass.
DM: Ah, in some disciplines. The ones I did not like, forget it. I had a big issue with mathematics, for example. I remember in ninth grade I decided I did not like math.
Decided?
DM: Decided. The grades were "1" to "5", and the first time, I got a "-3." Never had a negative in my life. In my life! "Whoa, what is this -3 ? This is almost 2! But are we kidding or what?" ( Laughs.) Then I decided that I liked math. I ended the year with 5.
And when you were a kid, you wanted to be?
DM: Wanted to be everything that people thought I was good at doing. Never wanted to be an actor. Never. Not when I started working. I'd been working six years, saying that I was not sure if I wanted to be an actor. I remember I had a Visual Education teacher, I always had a knack for the arts, creative arts and such -- and I remember having made a sort of abstract poster that had something to do with a clock. I remember so well ... It was like a wave that looked like the face of a person, and had a clock around his neck. I thought it was telling a story. It was designed and bonded with old magazines and stuff like that. I remember that I got the highest score in this work and the teacher said, "Whoa, you are so creative, you should be an architect or something like that." And I thought "Architect? But why?" What is certain is that after that I started falling in love with the architecture of things.
And is it true that you became a model through a friend who was taking a photo?
DM: Yes, my friend was fond of fashion and design - so today he's designer. He wanted to be a model and I would take his photos to send in for a contest. I've always loved photography and had a camera that used disposable film. His mother was a seamstress, and had a chest at home with things I had never seen: "cowboy vests," bell-bottom pants, things like that. I wanted to try! I started to get dressed and the bastard grabbed the camera and began to take my picture. What we agreed was that I'd take pictures of him, gave him the roll, he'd develop them and send. But the bastard sent my pictures too. So that is how I got into modeling.
And how long did your modeling career last?
DM: About 8 months. I did the Loja das Meias catalog, did Moda Lisboa, did shows for IADE and FIL Moda and started doing ads. Until one day I did an audition for a novela. It was for "Terra Mãe” my first role.
It was while filming "Terra Mãe" that you met Armando Cortez, who you say is your teacher.
DM: He is one of the most ... This is always tricky to talk about him (thinks). He was the first person to say that I could do it, you know? And that changed everything. Changed my life, changed what I wanted, changed the way I saw myself in a few years (another pause; moved). Whoa, sorry, we are not going to go here, seriously ...
And the first time you were recognized on the street?
DM: It was at the height of "Terra Mae." People said to me: "Oh Miguel, Miguel." And I never gave it any thought. I'll be honest: I was amused, but then it was very annoying. For a good few years I dealt poorly with it. It was difficult. Today there are four novelas at the same time, but at that time there were not. I did a novela that year at RTP. The novela was all filmed and then began to air. Was only a year, and I was already lucky. The concept of being famous was very abstract. And suddenly I thought: "But people are here because they recognize me?"
And did it ever get to where you did not want to leave home?
DM: No, but I started having fears. Even today there are things I won't do. It became a way of life.
But it is not the Portuguese who approaches you most on the street.
It is true, especially in Lisbon and Porto. But outside of there, people express themselves well. There have been very funny situations. I was escorted from a shopping mall by security. There were people on the escalators in the opposite direction, pulling on me, trying to rip my clothes. I remember thinking, "Is this silly, or what?"
Is it true that the "click" that made you realize you wanted to be an actor came when you played a stuttering dolphin in a play at a children's theater?
DM: This was the beginning. When you have an audience of kids, it is clear that (what moves you) is not ego, it is for them. It had nothing to do with wanting to be famous. The pleasure of acting for them was authentic, genuine. Wanted to do it well, for the kids. And I realized I could make them feel something. They do not lie. I remember that in the end, they asked me for my autograph and I was signing them "Diogo." They asked me "who is Diogo?" I'm like "Oh sorry, sorry." And signed "Dolphin."
And how did you come to work in Spain?
DM: I took a few acting courses in Spain and this gave me some help with the language. One day there was a Spanish director, Miguel Ángel (Calvo Buttini), who came to Sintra to make a "repérage" (a film/location "scout") and he wanted to go see a Portuguese film. Was the "Crime of Padre Amaro" where I played a gay, dizzy hairdresser. And it happened to be exactly the kind of character he wanted for his film. I went to Spain and did that film. Then I made a second feature with him, and this time the role was much bigger. If all goes well, I will do another role in Spain next year, in a film that will be called "Abracadabra," with this same director.
If you had to describe yourself in a nutshell, you'd say: "Hello, I'm Diogo Morgado and ..."
DM: ... I am a proud Portuguese, I believe we have to believe.
It seems to me a good compliment. How do you think this happened?
DM: First of all, I do not set out to do auditions for things that I do not think are right for me. And the few times it happened and I did do them thinking that it was not for me -- I did so knowing that it could develop things that otherwise could not develop. Because we can not always be comfortable, feel "This is just my element." But back to your question, I think you have to have truth, find the truth. There is one thing for me that is vital: not wanting to do things based on the expectations of anyone. If you give me a task to do, I do not think, "What will Mariana want?" If you gave me something to do, I do it because I believe I can do it. And I'll do what I believe -- the way I proposed myself to do it. Then you can tell me: "Diogo, that was not it." But I'm going with what I told myself I was going to do. And I'm willing to discuss it. I've gotten jobs where the audition was just a detail. In the United States, this happened at least once: I'll was talking to the Director and he asked me "what did you think of the script?"And I said: "That part I don't like." After doing the scene, I defended my proposals. There's a reason, and I will explain it. Maybe it has to do with that, I don't know.
You were pre-nominated for the Emmys in the same category as Al Pacino. At the time, you wrote on your Facebook page that the biggest prize was to have your name next to the "master." Is he a benchmark for you?
DM: He and Marlon Brando are my top benchmarks.
If you see the "Scarface," for example... There is a great script, there is a great story. But the guy makes the film. And he makes the film in a way that no one else could do. There is a side of authenticity and charisma. He's like Marlon Brando. They are individuals ahead of their time. They are the true geniuses.
When I learned of your success in the United States, I, and I believe many Portuguese like me, thought we'd lost you. And yet, eventually returned to be on a novela on SIC. Is that a step back or is this just a very Portuguese judgment to think it is?
DM: It is. I think it is very provincial, very small (thinking.) For me it is all about ego, it boils down to ego. If you ask me what I want out of life, I say: to be healthy, my family, to have money to buy my stuff, and to like what I do every day.
And it is the same, here or there?
DM: Exactly. I am one of the privileged few who is lucky enough to have that (to do what you love).
And you like Lisbon?
DM: Like much of Lisbon, in perspective. I like to come, walk, go to museums, to a bar. Like the day in Lisbon and the Lisbon nightlife, touring Lisbon. I love shooting in Lisbon. But not to live. Because living, for me, is synonymous with rest, reflection, peace, put my thoughts in order, to regroup. And a person who is here (in Lisbon), it seems is always in a race. It's like trying to walk when everyone is running, you know? I said, "Wait. I just want to walk. "
You have a strong connection to Alentejo. You lived there?
DM: I spent the summer holidays there, always. My father and my father's family are from Alentejo.
This affected you?
DM: Affected me. Nowadays there are very few children who have total freedom, without fear of anything. I grew up on the street, playing in the street. When it was starting to get dark, my mother went to the window, called me and I came. This does not exist today. Even the place where I live today this is no longer so. No longer no fear, because there is danger. People become much more closed off about themselves, individualistic, with other types of recreational activities, which is reflected in the taste, the way people interact with each other.
Alentejo was synonymous with freedom, then.
DM: Yes. They'd come to me and say: "Go wherever you want. Do whatever you want, wherever you want." Everyone knew it. My mother would go to the street and ask, "Did you see Diogo?" Ask here, ask there, and find me in 5 minutes. And then there's another thing. I have always enjoyed eating. And the phrase "Poor is the mouth that does not have two lunches" was one of my favorite quotes. Between 11-11:55am I went my aunt's house: "So son already had lunch? "No." "Then sit down here." Bam, bam, bam (ate whatever she gave him). "So bye aunt." Went to my cousin's house. 1:30 pm. "So? Already had lunch? "and I said "I have." "Sit here." "But I've had lunch." "Poor is the mouth that does not have two lunches." Bam, bam, bam (ate second lunch).
After going for a coffee somewhere. "Have you had lunch?" And I say "I have." "Have you eaten cake? Sit here." And I "But ..." "Shut up. Sit here!" Bam, bam, bam. It was 4pm and I was still at lunch. Beginning at noon. Eh pa ... was so cool ....
And you were a good student?
DM: I was a good student in that I had good grades, not in the sense of having a great method.
So you did the minimum amount of work needed to pass.
DM: Ah, in some disciplines. The ones I did not like, forget it. I had a big issue with mathematics, for example. I remember in ninth grade I decided I did not like math.
Decided?
DM: Decided. The grades were "1" to "5", and the first time, I got a "-3." Never had a negative in my life. In my life! "Whoa, what is this -3 ? This is almost 2! But are we kidding or what?" ( Laughs.) Then I decided that I liked math. I ended the year with 5.
And when you were a kid, you wanted to be?
DM: Wanted to be everything that people thought I was good at doing. Never wanted to be an actor. Never. Not when I started working. I'd been working six years, saying that I was not sure if I wanted to be an actor. I remember I had a Visual Education teacher, I always had a knack for the arts, creative arts and such -- and I remember having made a sort of abstract poster that had something to do with a clock. I remember so well ... It was like a wave that looked like the face of a person, and had a clock around his neck. I thought it was telling a story. It was designed and bonded with old magazines and stuff like that. I remember that I got the highest score in this work and the teacher said, "Whoa, you are so creative, you should be an architect or something like that." And I thought "Architect? But why?" What is certain is that after that I started falling in love with the architecture of things.
And is it true that you became a model through a friend who was taking a photo?
DM: Yes, my friend was fond of fashion and design - so today he's designer. He wanted to be a model and I would take his photos to send in for a contest. I've always loved photography and had a camera that used disposable film. His mother was a seamstress, and had a chest at home with things I had never seen: "cowboy vests," bell-bottom pants, things like that. I wanted to try! I started to get dressed and the bastard grabbed the camera and began to take my picture. What we agreed was that I'd take pictures of him, gave him the roll, he'd develop them and send. But the bastard sent my pictures too. So that is how I got into modeling.
And how long did your modeling career last?
DM: About 8 months. I did the Loja das Meias catalog, did Moda Lisboa, did shows for IADE and FIL Moda and started doing ads. Until one day I did an audition for a novela. It was for "Terra Mãe” my first role.
It was while filming "Terra Mãe" that you met Armando Cortez, who you say is your teacher.
DM: He is one of the most ... This is always tricky to talk about him (thinks). He was the first person to say that I could do it, you know? And that changed everything. Changed my life, changed what I wanted, changed the way I saw myself in a few years (another pause; moved). Whoa, sorry, we are not going to go here, seriously ...
And the first time you were recognized on the street?
DM: It was at the height of "Terra Mae." People said to me: "Oh Miguel, Miguel." And I never gave it any thought. I'll be honest: I was amused, but then it was very annoying. For a good few years I dealt poorly with it. It was difficult. Today there are four novelas at the same time, but at that time there were not. I did a novela that year at RTP. The novela was all filmed and then began to air. Was only a year, and I was already lucky. The concept of being famous was very abstract. And suddenly I thought: "But people are here because they recognize me?"
And did it ever get to where you did not want to leave home?
DM: No, but I started having fears. Even today there are things I won't do. It became a way of life.
But it is not the Portuguese who approaches you most on the street.
It is true, especially in Lisbon and Porto. But outside of there, people express themselves well. There have been very funny situations. I was escorted from a shopping mall by security. There were people on the escalators in the opposite direction, pulling on me, trying to rip my clothes. I remember thinking, "Is this silly, or what?"
Is it true that the "click" that made you realize you wanted to be an actor came when you played a stuttering dolphin in a play at a children's theater?
DM: This was the beginning. When you have an audience of kids, it is clear that (what moves you) is not ego, it is for them. It had nothing to do with wanting to be famous. The pleasure of acting for them was authentic, genuine. Wanted to do it well, for the kids. And I realized I could make them feel something. They do not lie. I remember that in the end, they asked me for my autograph and I was signing them "Diogo." They asked me "who is Diogo?" I'm like "Oh sorry, sorry." And signed "Dolphin."
And how did you come to work in Spain?
DM: I took a few acting courses in Spain and this gave me some help with the language. One day there was a Spanish director, Miguel Ángel (Calvo Buttini), who came to Sintra to make a "repérage" (a film/location "scout") and he wanted to go see a Portuguese film. Was the "Crime of Padre Amaro" where I played a gay, dizzy hairdresser. And it happened to be exactly the kind of character he wanted for his film. I went to Spain and did that film. Then I made a second feature with him, and this time the role was much bigger. If all goes well, I will do another role in Spain next year, in a film that will be called "Abracadabra," with this same director.
If you had to describe yourself in a nutshell, you'd say: "Hello, I'm Diogo Morgado and ..."
DM: ... I am a proud Portuguese, I believe we have to believe.
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Another great, honest, genuine interview by Diogo. He gives so much thought and "meat" in his answers, it is so refreshing and awesome.
And I have to say again.... Obrigada Dina for your help with this. I literally cannot thank you enough for this and all you do for us!
And I have to say again.... Obrigada Dina for your help with this. I literally cannot thank you enough for this and all you do for us!
--Sara
I love his mind.
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