Amaia Salamanca and Richard Armitage: “‘The skin of the drum’ is shot in English to make it more international”

Five years after the premiere of ‘Oro’, in which Agustín Díaz Yanes dared to adapt the historical novel by Arturo Pérez Reverte, Colombian Sergio Dow accepts the challenge of bringing another work by the famous Spanish author to the big screen. On this occasion, the plot becomes a spy story in the heart of the Vatican and with Seville as the main stage. Coming to theaters on October 21, ‘The skin of the drum’, an international co-production that, despite having a large Spanish cast and being set in the Andalusian city, is shot in English. “It is meant, above all, for the enjoyment of the outside audience. Also, we shouldn’t put obstacles in this ourselves.”defends Amaia Salamanca, who plays the aristocrat Macarena Bruner.

in the Vatican City, a dangerous computer hacker breached the Holy See’s security system and managed to access the Pope’s personal computer (Franco Nero), to whom he leaves a message warning him that the church of the Madonna delle Lacrime is killing to defend itself. The Supreme Pontiff orders an investigation into the incident, as a cause Monsignor Spada (Paul Guilfoyle) sends one of the best agents of the Vatican secret services, Father Quart (Richard Armitage). At the same time, the owner of the basilica, Macarena Brune (Salamanca), tries to prevent the cathedral from being demolished by her ex-husband, Pencho Gavira (Rodolfo Sancho), who tries to convert it into luxury apartments.

A thriller that surprises for having figures of the highest level of the Spanish industry, filmed and set in Seville, but that it is shot entirely in English, as if it were the mother tongue of all the characters. “Really, it’s not that strange. Just look at the big Hollywood productions. For example, in ‘Mulan’ everyone spoke in English, even though it was set in ancient China, even the emperor spoke perfect English. And nothing happened. . Although it is set in Seville, if we want the film to go as far as possible, English, perhaps, was the most international way. “, Salamanca claims this in an interview granted to eCartelera in Madrid.

The fact that it is shot in English also allows international faces to be in the film, as is the case with Richard Armitage, star of this film version, played Father Quart, a priest with skills worthy of an action hero. “There were three things that made me accept the project. The first thing that attracted me is that it has a good script, it captured me from the first moment. The second thing was shooting in cities like Rome, Madrid and Seville which it made me say yes right away. There is also a third party, who was my father. After reading the novel, I told my father, who loves historical adventures. I told him about my role, a priest who looks like James Bond and he told me to do it, not to miss this opportunity.”underlines the English interpreter.

The English actor, known for the saga ‘The Hobbit’ and for series like ‘Berlin Station’ or ‘Hannibal’, He was fascinated by his experience of filming in Spain and wants to do it again with another project. “I would love to record here again. What I really like about Spanish culture is that I think there is a great sense of pride, celebration and spirit in everything. There is a lot of energy and I notice that in the language too. When I hear someone in Spanish, I notice a certain passion that ends up being contained when translated into English. I wish I had the time to learn Spanish and speak it in the film. It sounds cliché, but I love that passion and that emotion”Armitage continues to comment.

Speculation and corruption under the pillars of the Vatican

The original novel was set in 1995 and has closely addressed issues such as real estate speculation, influence dealing, political and commercial corruption and scandals related to the Catholic Churchtopics that are still relevant today, which makes ‘La piel del tambor’ talk a lot about contemporary society. “These themes are very present in the film. For better or for worse, they are part of the human condition and have always been there.”exhibits Alicia Borrachero, who plays her sister Gris Marsala in the film.

“Not only do I think that in 1995 and today these problems are present, I don’t think it is just current [la corrupción, la especulación, el ocultar delitos] It has happened throughout the history of mankind. There has always been a lust for power and manipulation. We may have no data, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened during the Roman Empire as well, that a patrician used his position to unfairly seize land, for example. Unfortunately, he is part of civilization “.adds Rodolfo Sancho.

Directed by Sergio Dow and written by Adrián Bol, Gretchen Cowan, Carolina López-Rodríguez, Sheila Willis and Luis Zelkowicz, with Dow himself in charge of the script; This adaptation of Arturo Pérez Reverte’s novel of the same name stars Richard Armitage, Amaia Salamanca, Fionnula Flanagan, Paul Freeman, Paul Guilfoyle, Alicia Borrachero, Joe Manjón, William Keen, Carlos Cuevas, Unax Ugalde, Jorge Sanz, Rodolfo Sancho, Peter Vives, Simón Andreu, Féodor Atkine and Franco Nero. A co-production between Spain, Italy and Colombia, a production by Enrique Cerezo Producciones Cinematográficos SA, Piel del Tambor AIE, Fundación Eric Producciones, North by Northwest and Augusto Color SRL; With the support of ICAA, Amazon Prime Video and RTVE. “The skin of the drum” is available in theaters this October 21, by the hand of Flins and Pinículas.