A Visual Narrator: Roger Gual and the Art of Storytelling
A conversation with the Catalan director and screenwriter about inspiration, his human team and the home as a personal sanctuary.
Roger Gual is a film and television screenwriter and director with a career spanning over two decades. His name is associated with soulful stories and solid fictions that get under the skin, right from the impact of his debut feature Smoking Room (with which she won a Goya Award) to directing major platform hits such as The Mess You Leave Behind o Iron fist. But today, beyond his career, we want to delve into his more intimate world: his creative process, his sources of inspiration and his way of living. Because, as he himself asserts, the space we inhabit also has the power to move us.
Tell us about yourself and your work. Where did your vocation come from?
I have worked in the audiovisual industry for over 20 years. I don't know exactly where my vocation was born, but I have always loved telling stories, especially through fiction — films, series. It's what I know how to do and what I enjoy the most, particularly the creative process.
In my films I usually write the script myself, whereas in series I've worked more on commissioned projects. But where I really feel comfortable is on the shoot, on set. It's the place where I can direct actors, bring my own tricks, and make a story told in a real, truthful way that moves the viewer. In the end, that's what all directors are looking for.
What do you find most satisfying about your work?
What satisfies me most is the human side: dealing with the team, with the actors. Making a film or a series involves coordinating a lot of people — normally between 80 and 100 people per project — and living with that is what I like the most.
Despite the long shifts, often at night, there is something very satisfying about seeing the final result. And knowing that it has been achieved thanks to collective effort.
What is your creative process like, what are your sources of inspiration, any particular music while working?
Inspiration is very relative.
I always remember that phrase attributed to Picasso: “May inspiration strike you while you’re working”.
And it is quite true. Of course, sometimes you come up with a brilliant idea, but the important thing is to put the time in, be consistent and turn up when you need to turn up.
I try to keep up to date, watch lots of series, films, listen to music, go to the cinema, the theatre, exhibitions… All of that feeds me. Books, theatre… inspire me too.
As for the music: I like to always have something playing. It is something that has always accompanied me and that fills the space with energy, emotion, and rhythm.
Favourite colour, book, film and record - in that order! ;D
Does your home speak about you? Tell us what makes it special: what it smells like, which corner makes you feel most at home, if there is any object you wouldn't swap for anything... And if you have a pet, introduce it to us too!
The first word that comes to my mind when I think of home is love. It is my place: where my partner, my children and also my dog are. I built it ten years ago with an architect friend, and we put a huge amount of care into it. Today I am still very happy living in it.
There are things that make her very much mine. For example, the scent: in summer it smells of Mediterranean jasmine, because I have a plant in the patio downstairs that fills the whole air with that very distinctive aroma. It's a scent that transports me to quiet moments, warm nights, life at home.
If you could buy anything right now and take it home, what would it be? Anything!
A new sofa. But basically… I have everything I want.
A great plan at home always includes...
Includes food. A classic film with my kids. Just putting on some music, and opening a wine… Quite simple things.
Do you have a signature dish?
Rice dishes.
Do you have an object or a corner that feels very much your own? Something you've designed, that accompanies you in your day-to-day life or that has a special story.
There are several objects that identify me, but if I had to choose one, I would say the desk where I work. It is a wooden tabletop on trestles that I designed myself, together with my architect friend. I drew it, I thought it through, and it has been with me for years. I spend many hours sitting there, writing, preparing projects… It is a very personal space of mine.
We also designed a huge bookshelf together, which takes up a significant part of the house. That's where all my books are, and for me that has a special value. It's a corner that sums up well who I am and what things always stay with me.
