Úrsula Corberó, Master of Action Roles, Is Ready to Make You Laugh
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Úrsula Corberó is used to doing physically demanding stunts. The Spanish actress became known globally for her role as Tokyo, an amateur thief who’s recruited to enact a series of armed robberies, in the Netflix series Money Heist (La Casa de Papel/The House of Paper). Yet starring in the new action-packed G.I. Joe movie, Snake Eyes, in theaters now, offered a different set of challenges.
“Sometimes we did some boxing, a lot of choreography,” Corberó tells BAZAAR.com about her role. “At the beginning, we were feeling super clumsy. We were like, ‘Oh, sorry, did I hit you? Sorry.’ But at least we were sharing together and we were able to [get to] know each other, which was really cool.”
Snake Eyes marks Corberó’s first Hollywood production. Filmed in both Vancouver and Japan, it tells the origin story of a superhero of the same name who’s determined to avenge his father’s death. Henry Golding plays the lead character, while Corberó emerges as the Baroness, a villain associated with Cobra, a terrorist organization and the G.I. Joe team’s major foe.
“When I read the script—I’ll be honest—I wasn’t familiar with the G.I. Joe world, so everything was new for me,” Corberó says. “But I fell in love with the character [the Baroness]. She’s a badass. She’s very powerful. She’s bold. She’s evil. But at the same time, she has a sense of humor. She never loses her sense of humor.”
Beyond the intensive stunts and physical training, Corberó worked her mind as she geared up for her first major English-language project. “It was very challenging for me,” says Corberó, who first started speaking English two years ago. “It’s been my first Hollywood movie, and it’s been my first project speaking in English nonstop with very different people.”
Prior to landing Snake Eyes, she auditioned for Snatch, a Crackle show about a group of scammers who become further embroiled in a life of crime after discovering a truck with gold bullion. The project looked exciting, but there was a catch: The show and audition were in English.
“When I did the self-tape for the show, I didn’t speak English at all,” Corberó says. “So I worked super hard and prepared the scene and sent the tape out, and I remember they called me and said, ‘The director wants to have a meeting with you with the main character.’ … And I was like, ‘Okay, now is the time when they realize that I’m a liar.’ ... I was so nervous, and I also remember I didn’t understand anything. I was faking everything.”
Corberó nailed the audition and meeting, though, and was ultimately cast as Inés Santiago, a recurring character on the show. Snatch, which premiered in 2017, ran for two seasons and can be watched on Crackle’s app and website.
Snake Eyes is also Corberó’s first major project post-Money Heist, which is a bittersweet development in her career. After several years of endearing herself to fans as the strong, passionate Tokyo, Money Heist will wrap up with its fifth and final installment in September. The previous season’s ending had viewers questioning whether The Professor, the mastermind behind the organized heists, was murdered.
Though Corberó won't divulge the resolution to the cliffhanger, she does discuss the last couple weeks on set. “I remember I couldn’t stop crying while filming every scene. There was a pain in my stomach,” Corberó explains. “Because a lot of crazy things happened to me with this show. My life changed, and I feel grateful and proud. … I will miss Tokyo so much, but at the same time, I think she’ll be a part of me forever.”
While Corberó, who was primarily a comedic actress in her early career, discovers what’s next for her, she hopes to return to her roots making people smile and laugh. “Action is lovely. I mean, it always looks incredible … and when you see the results, it’s like, ‘Okay, it’s worth it, because it looks amazing,’ but it’s also tiring,” Corberó says. “I also love comedy. When they gave me the role of Tokyo, it was a big surprise to me, because I thought, Oh, they’ll never trust me to do these kinds of characters. And now, it’s just the opposite. … I miss comedy … and then you’re not suffering and crying. I love Tokyo, but she’s intense.”
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