Tamar Novas (Santiago de Compostela, 1986) is enjoying a remarkable career in Spanish cinema. Still shy of his 40th birthday, the actor has already amassed nearly three decades of experience in the industry. He first appeared on the big screen as a child in La lengua de las mariposas, directed by José Luis Cuerda. He’s worked with acclaimed directors like Pedro Almodóvar, Isabel Coixet, and Alejandro Amenábar – winning his first Goya Award at age 18 for Mar Adentro. Now, two decades later, the Galician performer is hoping to repeat that success with his nomination for Rondallas.
Novas recently appeared on the videopodcast Las Del Cadillac, hosted by Raquel Elices and María Canet of En Play, where he discussed his early days in film and his lifelong passion for music – a dream he describes as “frustrated.” The episode featured a musical journey curated by the actor himself.
During the podcast, Novas reminisced about his career through a selection of songs, from Michael Jackson’s “Jam” to tracks by The Beatles, Radiohead, and Leonard Cohen. He also highlighted the music of Xoel López, calling him a favorite artist and sharing his connection to the performer’s hometown. The interview offers a glimpse into the personal tastes of an actor who has become a fixture in Spanish cinema, and comes as the industry anticipates the Goya Awards.
“Music is a frustrated vocation for me,” Novas confessed. He studied piano for seven years as a child, but his acting career eventually took precedence. “I’ve gotten back into piano thanks to theater, actually. And I’ve even had the chance to compose little melodies for some projects – one with Alba Flores,” he shared. “But I develop up for not being a rock star by knowing rock stars and having musician friends,” including fellow Galicians Iván Ferreiro and Xoel López.
The actor is also looking forward to having his brother, Guti, by his side at the Goya Awards, just as he did when he won his first award for Mar Adentro. Recalling that night, Novas remembered Juan Diego saying he “looked like an anchovy in the sea.”
A Melomaniac Actor with a Musician’s Soul
For Novas, music is an essential part of his life. When asked what he would have done if not for acting, he has a clear answer: “Music is a frustrated vocation for me. I have many musician friends and I always want to be with them and learn from them,” he says.
When he was young, he studied piano for seven years at the conservatory, but the demands of the instrument and his acting career led him away from the keyboards, at least for a time. “I’ve gotten back into piano thanks to theater, precisely. And, in fact, I’ve always liked soundtracks a lot and in some work I’ve had the opportunity to make a small melody – one of them with Alba Flores,” he notes. “But well, I make up for the part of being a rock star by knowing rock stars and having musician friends,” referring, among others, to fellow countrymen like Iván Ferreiro or Xoel López, of whom he declares himself an absolute fan.
María Canet, Raquel Elices and Tamar Novas in ‘Las del Cadilllac’ José Manuel Ortega Elgueta José Manuel Ortega Elgueta
Guti, his brother, alongside him again at the Goya Awards
Two decades after winning his first Goya for Mar Adentro, the Galician actor is once again nominated as Best Supporting Actor for Rondallas, the latest film by Daniel Sánchez Arévalo. And just as it happened on that occasion, he wants to have one of the most crucial people in his life by his side again, his brother Guti. Recalling that night, he remembers what Juan Diego said to him when he saw him collect the award: “you looked like an anchovy in the middle of the sea”.
Las del Cadillac, En Play: all episodes
You can listen to more episodes of Las del Cadillac on RNE Audio, RTVE Play, Ivoox and Spotify. The latest musical kidnappings have taken David Uclés, Rosa Montero, Alvaro Rivas (Alcalá Norte), Marc Ros or Mara Jiménez (_@croquetamente) to the back of this aged Cadillac.
