Golden Globes for Gael Garcia Bernal’s crash course in classical music
Mexican actor named best actor for playing emotionally volatile orchestral conductor Rodrigo De Souza in Amazon comedy series Mozart in the Jungle, a winner for best TV comedy series
Gael Garcia Bernal didn’t hesitate for a moment when asked to choose which profession he considers to be harder – acting or conducting a symphony orchestra.
“To be a conductor you have to study like a doctor. You need to have studied since you were little,” he says. “If you measure it like that, conducting is way more difficult.”
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But of course acting has its challenges, too. “They’re both performing and interpretation,” he says.
Bernal is in an unusual position to speak about both crafts. In Amazon’s comedy series Mozart in the Jungle, now in its second season, he plays Rodrigo De Souza, the gifted but emotionally unpredictable conductor of a major New York orchestra. At yesterday’s Golden Globes, Bernal won best actor and the show best TV series for a comedy or musical.
In the first season, Rodrigo was a brash, young upstart looking to shake up the staid orchestra and its ageing subscriber base. Now settling into early middle age, he must deal with a new set of hurdles: an impending musicians strike, difficult board members and a younger challenger to the throne.