Spanish actress Lucía Caraballo has criticised the promotion of hatred against minority groups, arguing that freedom of expression cannot be used to justify messages targeting people because of their identities. “Promoting hatred is not freedom of expression,” she said in an interview with El País, in which she also discussed social intolerance, the housing difficulties facing young people, political engagement and her growing career in Spanish film and television.
Caraballo, 27, has almost 20 years of experience in acting and performance. She is currently promoting the film La maleta and preparing for her first major leading role in a new production, a comedy directed by a prominent filmmaker whose identity she was not yet able to disclose. Her recent television work, particularly the series Me gusta conducir and Animal, has brought her increased recognition and placed her among the emerging generation of Spanish actresses.
Speaking to El País, Caraballo described the loss of humanity and empathy as one of her principal concerns. She said she was particularly troubled by the rejection of identities different from one’s own and the growing presence of messages designed to generate hostility towards particular communities.
Asked whether there were positions she could not tolerate, she identified the denial of other people’s identities as a fundamental boundary. “Hatred of what is different would be the biggest red line for me,” she said. “I don’t understand how someone can say that an identity different from their own does not exist.” She added that messages promoting hostility towards others should not be protected under the principle of freedom of expression.
Her position reflects a distinction she made between understanding people and excusing their behaviour. Although she said she often found herself able to understand even people she considered despicable, she rejected the idea that understanding their motivations required accepting their actions. Groups united by hostility towards other communities, she suggested, often revealed their own insecurity and vulnerability through that behaviour. “I think those people need a hug,” she said.
Caraballo also expressed support for political participation and said she intended to vote. She described herself as interested in hearing different opinions and making an effort to remain informed, while emphasising that dialogue must operate within the limits of tolerance and individual rights. For her, the possibility of engaging with people holding opposing views remains important, provided that such engagement does not involve denying the identities or rights of others.
Housing was another issue she highlighted as a major concern for younger people in Spain, particularly those attempting to establish independent lives in Madrid. Asked whether she would have joined her friends at the encampment in Puerta del Sol, where young people had gathered to protest, she said she would have participated. Her proposed message would have been that housing is a right and should not become an object of commercial exploitation.
She said the sight of young people organising around housing rights was encouraging and rejected the description of her generation as excessively fragile. Rather, she argued, younger people were becoming more willing to acknowledge vulnerability, establish personal boundaries and defend identities that previous generations had not always recognised. “I don’t think we are the crystal generation,” she said, referring to the Spanish expression used to describe younger people as overly sensitive.
Caraballo acknowledged that earlier generations had fought important battles on behalf of younger people, but said they had also left new challenges that her generation now had to confront. The difficulties of securing housing and building a sustainable life in Madrid were among the issues she identified. Some of her friends had spent two weeks camping in Puerta del Sol, an indication, she said, of the seriousness with which young people were approaching the issue.
Her concerns about social relationships and empathy are also personal. Caraballo said that, despite being a committed professional who often worked excessively, love and human relationships remained the centre of her life. Her greatest fear, she admitted, was ending up alone. She described friendship, particularly the relationships she had developed with other women, as essential to her everyday existence. While romantic relationships could come and go, she said, friendships often remained.
Born in Madrid, Caraballo grew up in Rivas-Vaciamadrid and began dancing and acting at the age of eight. She recalled having considerable passion and commitment from an early age, describing herself as someone who found it difficult to do anything halfway. As an adolescent, she wanted to leave her hometown, but now appreciates the opportunity she had to develop her artistic interests through publicly funded arts workshops for children.
Her parents, she said, supported her ambitions while allowing her the freedom to make mistakes. At 18, she travelled to London intending to stay for two months but remained considerably longer. She credited her family with giving her the space to make personal, romantic and professional mistakes while continuing to support her through difficult periods.
Caraballo described her career as one built gradually, with each opportunity helping to create the conditions for the next. Her work on Me gusta conducir, directed by Borja Cobeaga and featuring Juan Diego Botto, gave her valuable experience. Cobeaga subsequently recommended her to Víctor García León and Aitor Gabilondo, who offered her a role in Animal. She credited these professional connections and the willingness of established actors and directors to recognise her contribution with helping her progress.
Her experience working alongside Luis Zahera in Animal was particularly significant. She described him as a friend and professional companion who had consistently given her space rather than allowing his reputation to overshadow her performance. She had recently spent a weekend at his home in Arousa preparing for her next role, after he gave her the keys to his house.
Caraballo also received her first major industry award from the AISGE Foundation, whose president is actor Emilio Gutiérrez Caba, shortly before the El País interview. Reflecting on the nearly two decades she has spent working in the performing arts, she said the experience had given her confidence and a greater sense of belonging on film sets. Quoting her acting teacher Juan Carlos Corazza, she described the responsibility that comes with accumulated experience: “Take responsibility for what you already know.”
