In Conversation : Raquel Esteban, Actor

It's always a pleasure to shoot with Raquel Esteban, a actor and dancer based in Sydney, and this time we sat down for a little chat..

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

My name is Raquel and I am an actress. I was born in north Spain in a little region called Navarra. When I was 18 years old I decided to move to Barcelona and study musical theatre. After living and working in Spain as a professional dancer for about three years, I felt the necessity of going somewhere and doing my own thing so I moved to Zürich, then to Byron Bay, London, south of France and Sydney. I was nomad for about 8 years but now I have been living in Sydney for about 2 and half years.

What is a typical day for you look like? Any daily rituals?

I wake up at 6am have a banana and go training at 6:30am followed by a swim in the ocean if it’s warm enough, then I go to work or might have an audition to get ready for. I also work as a SLSO teacher on the side of being an actress. Afterwork it’s ME time! I might go to the beach, help a friend with a selftape, study a script, have a chat with my friends back in Europe or simply have a glass of red in the backyard.

Rituals... Morning shower or swim otherwise I can't function! I used to have a glass of warm water and lemon first thing in the morning which is great for your guts but I have forgotten about it.

Have you picked up any hobbies this year with so much time spent at home?

Well I wanted to take on roller skating. I started to follow some great insta accounts, did extensive research and actually bought online some decent skates from America. I thought I did all my calculations right, I measured my foot few times but despite all my efforts when they arrived they were too big for me so I sold them (hahaha)

It's been a big year and we still have some left to go! How has this year changed you and the way you live?

I actually think we have a lot to more to go through even if the pandemic finishes. I believe this pandemic is going to leave significant trace and affect human behaviour and the way we socialise. It worries me.

As an actor most of my auditions have been over zoom and funny enough I have found myself missing the thrill of a face to face audition. I find it much harder to audition over Zoom even though you are within the comfort zone of your own home, online feels limited. There is nothing better than a face to face conversation, without the mask of course (haha)

I've been watching a lot of foreign films to try and satisfy those travelling urges. What have you been watching recently?

I have been laughing a lot watching Frankie and Grace TV series, they are both fantastic actors and the script as well is just magnificent. Easy and witty!

There are other movies I watch on repeat such as Call Me By Your Name, Dreamers, Blue Is The Warmest Colour, Midnight in Paris...I Love them all!

Oh! And if you haven’t watched it yet please watch A Life On Our Planet by David Attenborough.

What clothes do you gravitate towards in the summer?

Mmmm...dresses and skirts both mini and long. Depending what’s on what’s on I will pair them with sneakers for a casual cool outfit or mid heel sandals for a night out.

Do you have any Spanish recipes to share? (I'd love an authentic Sangria recipe for summer!)

Oh well...you must know I am not a great cook! (Hahaha) Im great at salads and simple meals but that’s about it.

But sangria is easy! It’s all about the quality of the fruit and how we say in Spain “how much love you put on the making “.

For 1L of sangria:

750ml of red wine (vino Rioja if you can that’s the one we use)

1 peach in cubes

1 apple in cubes

1 orange slide

2 cups of freshly squished orange juice

1 table spoon of fresh lemon juice

1 cinnamon stick

2 tablespoons of sugar

Lemon soda water to serve (optional)

1. Mix two tablespoons of warm water with the sugar and mix till it dissolves.

2. Pour the wine, the fruit and cinnamon in a jar and add the sugar mixture.

3. Mix it throughly and let it sit for two hours at room temperature.

4. Serve with ice and add the soda lemon water, or even a little bit of mineral water. This will change the flavour a little bit but it will make it lighter.

Thank you Raquel!

To check our some of Raquel's work visit here

And to see more of her beautiful instagram visit here

Nancybird is based on the banks of the Merri Creek, on the stolen lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, whom we acknowledge as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we work, recognising their continuing connection to land, waters, and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present, and emerging, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples today and every day.