Matias Varela facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Matias Varela
|
|
|---|---|
Varela on 21 January 2013
|
|
| Born |
Louis Matias Karl Padin Varela
23 June 1980 Stockholm, Sweden
|
| Other names | Louis Matias Padin Varela |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in) |
Louis Matias Karl Padin Varela (born June 23, 1980) is a Swedish actor. He is known for appearing in movies and TV shows in both Sweden and around the world.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Acting
Varela was born and raised in the Södermalm area of Stockholm, Sweden. His parents came from Cambados, a town in the Galicia region of Spain. Because of this, he grew up speaking Spanish at home and only learned Swedish when he started school.
In middle school, Varela became good friends with Gustaf Skarsgård. Gustaf's father is the famous actor Stellan Skarsgård. Varela didn't know about the Skarsgård family's fame because he mostly watched Spanish TV.
When Gustaf decided to apply to a special high school for drama, Varela wanted to go too. Gustaf's father gave Varela some acting lessons to help him prepare. Varela was accepted into the school, which surprised him. He later said he wore a tracksuit to his audition and didn't think he looked like a typical actor.
Career Highlights
After a small role in the TV show Nya tider, Varela took a break from acting. He returned to Sweden and worked in construction, taking small acting jobs when he could.
Breakthrough Role
A turning point in his career came when he read the popular Swedish crime novel Snabba Cash. He learned it was being made into a movie and was determined to get a part. He wanted to play Jorge Salinas, a character with a Chilean background who gets involved in the city's criminal world.
Varela persuaded the director, Daniel Espinosa, to let him audition. Espinosa, who also has Chilean roots, was looking for an actor with a similar background. Varela won the role, and the movie, called Easy Money in English, became a huge hit. He also starred in the two sequels, Easy Money II: Hard to Kill (2012) and Easy Money III: Life Deluxe (2013).
International Success
The success of Easy Money opened doors for Varela to work on international projects. He appeared in an episode of the American TV show Covert Affairs. In 2013, he had a major role as Ferdinand II of Naples in the historical drama series The Borgias.
In 2015 and 2016, he acted in the movie remake Point Break and the film Assassin's Creed, which was based on the popular video game.
In 2017, Varela gained more fame for his role in the third season of the Netflix series Narcos. He played Jorge Salcedo Cabrera, the head of security for a powerful family in Colombia. He played this character again in the 2020 series Narcos: Mexico.
More recently, he has appeared in the Swedish financial TV series Fartblinda and the American science-fiction show Raised by Wolves, which was directed by Ridley Scott.
Personal Life
Varela is multilingual. He can speak Swedish, Spanish, Galician, and English fluently.
See also
In Spanish: Matias Varela para niños
