Itzan Escamilla, 28: “I’m afraid of being out of work. We’re all replaceable”

Itzan Escamilla reached international fame through Élite, but the success did not erase his fear of what comes after the next project. “I’m afraid of being out of work. We’re all replaceable,” the actor said while discussing a profession in which periods of intense exposure can quickly give way to stretches without work.

Escamilla built much of his career across television, film and theater. In 2018, he was cast as Samuel García in Élite, a role that rapidly changed his public profile as the Netflix series reached audiences in numerous countries. At one point, he had around five million followers on social media.

Yet that visibility never convinced him that work would continue at the same pace. A successful character, he knows, does not guarantee a steady stream of projects throughout an acting career. That concern now accompanies his effort to explore different forms of performance.

In February 2026, Escamilla returned to the stage at the Teatro Jovellanos in Gijón with El Efecto. The production brings him together with Alicia Borrachero, Elena Rivera and Fran Perea, under the direction of Juan Carlos Fisher, who adapted the play with Rómulo Assereto. The original work was written by British playwright and screenwriter Lucy Prebble, who is also associated with Succession.

The theater marks a return to the setting where Escamilla trained before Élite made him widely known. He had previously appeared in productions including Los universos paralelos, while also taking small television roles in El Ministerio del Tiempo and Las chicas del cable. Now, working live and without the option of repeating a scene as in a film shoot, he is entering another stage of his career.

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I’m afraid of being out of work. We’re all replaceable.