Tomy Aguilera is an actor we love for embodying sincere characters that show we should not take life for granted, mental health also affects the young ones, and we should not feel ashamed of it or even try to hide it. He considers he has been lucky enough to do a job that passionates him and now receives the support of people who celebrate his work and identify with how he portrays current youth.
Many got to know him thanks to his participation as Jorge in SKAM España, but more recently, we saw him as Charly in the hit Netflix show Welcome to Eden, and we cannot stop thinking about him ever since.
Therefore, as all of you requested, we had a conversation to talk about Welcome to Eden, his new plans, upcoming projects, and so much more. So, enjoy this exclusive interview of our beloved Tomy Aguilera exclusively for Vanity Teen.
I’ve been lucky
VT: What things make you happy?
TA: It makes me happy to learn something every day, doing it so close to the people I love, and spending time with them. Above all, I love growing through my passions and the wonderful people that you come across during a creative process.
VT: What would you like to say about your life, and how did you get into the acting world?
TA: That’s a difficult question. I would say that I’ve been lucky in my life, as I’ve found a way to do what I like. I don’t think there’s any other way to live than to enjoy what you do with your days. The theater paved the way for me; I studied magic as a child, and that opened up a world where I could use and work on my imagination. Later it was theater; then again, I found meaning, a goal, a practice to express everything I felt.
VT: SKAM gave you a voice among young audiences. So, what do you cherish the most about the experience?
TA: I don’t know if it gave me a voice among young people. What I do know is that this project gave me an internal voice that is still with me today. What I take away from SKAM is a group of really innocent and excited people who were part of it, the whole team of wonderful people, and, above all, the director of this whole adventure: Begoña Álvarez Rojas.
She taught us about the world of a shoot with care and respect for the job and dit it with such humanity that I have rarely seen it again. I realized that it’s not normal for them to take care of you as they did there. That lesson about taking care of your colleagues, and the story we are telling, undoubtedly is what I value the most.
Let’s talk about Welcome to Eden
VT: Let’s talk about Welcome to Eden. The series has become an international hit. How are you processing all the love that this production has received around the globe?
TA: Little by little. The truth is that it is too much, especially since all this is happening at the same time we’re shooting the second season. Since we have to be very focused on this, I guess there’ll be time to digest it later (laughs). But I’m very happy, amazed, and, above all, very grateful for all the support and love we’re receiving.
I am glad to see how rewarding the work of such a team of professionals and all the effort they have been making is.
VT: At the end of Episode 8 of Welcome to Eden, people went crazy due to the cliffhanger ending. Now Season 2 has been announced. At this point, what can you tell the fans of the Netflix show about what to expect from the story and Charly, the character you play?
TA: The truth is that I can’t tell you much. As you’ve seen, in Episode 8, Charly ends up in a very tricky situation, and I don’t think getting out of it is going to be easy. He’s got a lot of things to deal with. We’ll see how it goes.
VT: Besides the action scenes, beautiful locations, and thrilling stories, Welcome to Eden deals with themes like mental health, self-acceptance, love, plurality, and other issues that young people face today. Therefore, what would you like to say about this social aspect of the show?
TA: I think that aspect of the series is key to the characters having a compelling reason to continue. I also believe that, unfortunately, their trauma and its psychological consequences are all too real.
It’s a very real and very tangible problem, especially among young people. You only have to look at the numbers of young people taking psychopharmaceuticals, and the high suicide rates in recent years among young people, to realize how serious the situation is. And the biggest problem is that none of this is talked about. There are too many prejudices toward mental illness. The series reflects all that trauma and those thoughts that make us suffer deeply. But that we hide it at all costs because of how society works. I think it’s urgent to talk about this.
The beauty of life
VT: How do you take care of your mind and body?
TA: That’s a very necessary and important question that needs to be asked, and the answer is too complex to provide here, but I could sum it up by saying that the key is to have healthy relationships and work on them, as well as on yourself, every day. To me, art helps me not to take myself too seriously. Different things will work for every people.
In my view, to have lots of passions, pursuing them, and really making an effort at what you love, whether a discipline or a relationship, connects you with the beauty of life. That is saying a lot and makes you feel grateful. I know this path is more difficult for some than others, but I think that mentally it’s the way to lead a healthy life.
And as for the body, the formula is much simpler: eat healthily and move a lot. Moving a lot, in general, physically, intellectually, in your tastes, adventures; that’s the healthiest thing because life is movement, everything that’s alive moves. Never stop growing.
VT: What can you share with us about your upcoming plans?
TA: Well, the premiere in Spain, on August 12, of a comedy we shot in Madrid and Istanbul called Por Los Pelos. And, on a personal level, I’m producing two albums: a techno one, with which my brother Santi is helping me, and a reggae one with my good friend Yotam.
VT: What message do you have for those who identify with the characters you have portrayed and want to feel better about themselves?
TA:I don’t know if I’m qualified to advise anyone, but I could share my experience in case I might inspire someone or help them.
A key in my life has been never to doubt what I felt I wanted to do, what I felt was truly fulfilling. Never do it for others, or stop doing it for others, but rather do it for the love you have for that vocation, without claiming to be anything or anyone, for the sole purpose of learning and growing together with what you are, with your thing. And I would tell them to be patient.
I’m one of those who believes that, with love and effort, everything comes in due time.
VT: Anything else would you like to share with Vanity Teen?
TA: I’d like to thank you for giving me a space to express myself. I think it is important that we young people talk and do it without fear. I get the impression that many people out there take us for fools when we have meaningful and practical perspectives to contribute to a brighter future.
Before we go
I love that Tomy Aguilera helps me to continue spreading a message we should never avoid: it is relevant to talk about our mental health, and we must do our best to find comfort in what we do. Let us speak up!
Welcome to Eden will be back for season two, and Por Los Pelos will be out soon. So, if you want to keep updated with all of his new projects, you can follow him on social media at @tomy_aguilera.
Finally, let us remember to be grateful and, just like Tomy Aguilera, let us find reasons why we could say we also have been lucky to do what we love and find affectionate people who care for us.
Love!