The Last Night at Tremore Beach has dropped on Netflix, and the show has everything it takes to become the next sensation for the streaming service. It is directed by none other than Oriol Paulo, who gained quite a reputation thanks to the 2016 blockbuster The Invisible Guest, along with The Body, (2012) Mirage, (2017) God’s Crooked Lines, (2022) and the Netflix miniseries The Innocent (2021). The man’s work speaks volumes, and it can safely be said that The Last Night at Tremore Beach pretty much justifies the hype. The series focuses on Alex, a composer who moves to a coastal town after a fatal accident to get his mojo back. Obviously, it is much more than that. In this article, we are going to take a closer look at the cast and the characters they play in the show.
Spoilers Ahead
Javier Ray as Alex
Actor Javier Ray – whose most notable work so far is playing fisherman cum drug trafficker Sito Minanco in another Netflix show, Cocaine Coast, plays the lead, Alex de la Fuente. Alex is the central character of the show, who, after getting struck by lightning, starts seeing things that are about to happen. Of course, he finds it really hard to make people believe in his sanity. It gets to a point where he himself questions it. Alex has suffered quite a lot even before the start of this story. His girlfriend died in an accident, his mother is in a psychiatric facility, and his own wife and kid now live with another man in another country. Throughout the course of the show, Alex is tormented, but he fights tooth and nail, making you root for him. Actor Andres Zambrana plays the younger version of Alex.
Ana Polvorosa as Judy
Popular Spanish sitcom actress Ana Polvorosa, who is known for her role as Lore in the show Aida, plays the part of Judy here. Alex meets Judy in Tremore, and the two instantly fall for each other. Judy is very supportive and always stays by his side, even when he goes through hell. She has her own troubled past, which is explored in one of the episodes. Alex and Judy’s romance has to be one of the high points of the show, where Polvorosa has done a fantastic job.
Guillermo Toledo as Leo
Inarguably the most colorful character of the entire show, Leo is played by seasoned actor Guillermo Toledo. Originally a theater actor, Toledo broke into the scene with the sitcom 7 Vidas, (1999-2002) where he played the character of Richard. Toledo’s The Last Night at Tremore Beach character is Alex’s friend and neighbor. He is a retired lawyer who is now living a quiet life in Tremore. However, like what happens in most Oriol Paulo movies and shows, Leo is not what he seems to be, and you later find out about his major underworld connection that plays an important role in the narrative.
Pilar Castro as Maria
Leo’s wife Maria is played by actress Pilar Castro. She has done so many things, including the comedy thriller film Advantages of Travelling by Train, (2019) the Netflix romcom Love at First Kiss, (2023) and the popular drama series Unauthorized Living (2018-2020). Maria is a friendly and warm woman who has devoted her life to expressionist paintings. According to her, this is just her hobby, and she does not intend to market the talent. However, like her husband, she is harboring a big secret too. Her real name is Alicia Blanchard, and there are bad people looking for her and Leo. The couple are very important components of this story, as Alex’s primary vision is mainly about saving Leo and Maria from their respective deaths, which happen on the same night.
Nora Navas as Elvira
Nora Navas’ Elvira is the character you probably would love to hate in The Last Night at Tremore Beach Navas is a popular face whom you have seen in Pedro Almodovar’s Pain and Glory (2019) that earned her a Gaudi Award nomination. Her other notable works include Black Bread, (2010) for which she won multiple awards, The Barcelona Vampires (2020) and Liberated, (2022) which earned the actress her second Goya actor award. Elvira de la Fuente is a fascinating character. Like her son, she also has the instincts and sees things that are going to happen in the future. She claims that she has seen Alex’s life already, where he becomes this celebrated musician who wins accolades all over the world. However, Alex’s life gets pretty much ruined thanks to Elvira’s obsession with him. Thanks to her doing something terrible and extreme, her husband Isaak admits her into the Sanctimonium psychiatric facility, where she spends the rest of her life. We mostly see her appearing through flashbacks and visions in the show.
Josean Bengoetxea as Isaak
Elvira’s husband and Alex’s father is played by actor Josean Bengoetxea. Like Toledo, Josean is also a theater actor whom you might have seen in movies like Ander (2009) and All the Moons, (2020) as well as shows like Presumed Guilty (2018) and The Innocent (2021), where he worked with Oriol Paulo, of course. Isaac is a level-headed guy for most of the series who handles his eccentric wife and son so well. He is the loving father to Alex, who gets concerned when Elvira pushes the boy so much. But he also loves his wife and would do anything to protect her from all the trouble in the world. Isaac is hiding a major, life-changing secret from Alex, which finally gets revealed and it changes everything. Josean is fantastic in the role, and I must say, the makeup department has done a great job with him.
Ana Wagener as Dr. Kauffman
You have obviously seen Ana Wagener as the fake Virginia Goodman in The Invisible Guest, (2016) Oriol Paulo’s most celebrated work till date. Wagener’s other popular roles are Mercedes in The Sleeping Voice (2001) and Dolores in My Prison Years (2008). She also had a role in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s Biutiful, (2010) where she played Bea. In The Last Night at Tremore Beach, Wagener plays the part of Doctor Elizabeth Kauffman, who is a therapist. We first get to know about her from Judy, who suggests that Alex should seek help from Dr. Kauffman. Judy is speaking from her own experience, which has been nothing but miraculous. Kauffman is the person who has pulled Judy out of the darkness and made her see the light. The moment Alex walks into Kauffman’s chamber and starts talking about all the traumatizing visions he is getting, you get the idea that she is really good at what she does. Doctor Kauffman seems like a woman of science. Thanks to her trying hypnotherapy on Alex, both he (and the audience) are able to unravel a lot of secrets from the past that prove to be very effective. Wagener’s appearance in the show is quite limited, but she has still managed to make an impact.
Carla Quilez as Bea and Jordi Catalan as Bruno
I would not recommend The Last Night at Tremore Beach to a child, but the child actors, who have played Alex’s kids Bea and Bruno, deserve a round of applause. Carla Quilez plays Bea, the elder sibling among the two. She is a teenage girl who is going through a phase and also dealing with her parents’ divorce. It is not that Bea doesn’t love her father, but she is understandably mad at him for having been ignorant for some time. She has also inherited her father’s talent, as we see her casually playing the piece ‘For Estrella,’ which is composed by the father.
Jordi Catalan, on the other hand, has a much more difficult job playing Bruno, and the little boy has aced it. Elvira and Alex are not the only two people in the de la Fuente family who have visions (and otherworldly abilities). Bruno also happens to sleepwalk and get into these weird places. While his mother Paula and her boyfriend Niels make sure to immediately drag the boy into his senses, Alex takes a very different approach. He takes care of Bruno till he gets out of the trance. According to Doctor Kauffman, this is only happening to Bruno because he is influenced by his father, who, as a matter of fact, was influenced by his mother. It is a cycle going on in this family that is affecting everyone.
Antonio Buil as Ramiro and Laura Gaja as Estrella
Young actress Laura Gaja is only at the early stage of her career, and a starring role in an Oriol Paulo project is certainly going to take her places. Of course, she is quite fantastic as Alex’s first girlfriend, Estrella. Alex first meets her at the music school, and the two fall for each other and form a very intense romantic connection. Alex’s mother, Elvira, does not receive the relationship too well, especially when Alex tries to break free of his predetermined path of life for Estrella. Well, this obviously leads Elvira to do something unimaginable to Estrella.
Antonio Buil plays Estrella’s father, Ramiro, a wealthy businessman who might be involved in something shady. However, he loves his daughter so much and is also fond of Alex. He is very supportive of their relationship, in stark comparison to Elvira. Ramiro has an important role during the climax, when he meets Alex after so many years. Buil is adequate in the role. In case you are wondering what else the actor has done, you might want to check out movies like Animal Heart (2009) or shows like Apagon (2022).
Supporting Characters
There are many supporting characters in the sprawling narrative of The Last Night at Tremore Beach and each of them has done a very commendable job. Well-known Spanish TV actress Carlota Olcina—who is famous for The Heart of the City and Loving in Troubled Times—plays the part of Alex’s disgruntled ex-wife, Paula. She is concerned about Alex’s well-being but also frustrated with how he has failed her and the kids. Paula and Alex fight a lot over the phone, but her intention is never bad. Money Heist actor Xavi Saez plays Niel, the man Paula is currently dating and living with. He doesn’t have much to do, but it is evident that Niel is not too fond of Alex. Other than the smash hit TV show, Saez’s filmography also includes Almodovar’s Pain and Glory, as well as the very popular 2022 prison drama Prison 77.
Carme Pla and David Bages play Vivienne and Peio, an overly enthusiastic couple from Tremore who are friends with Leo and Maria. They get elated when they meet Alex for the first time during the dinner at Leo’s house. Vivienne immediately requests Alex to do a mini concert at the town festival, where she is one of the organizers. Alex eventually fulfills her wish, making Vivienne genuinely happy. She and Peio are also very into home security, and they keep talking about this new system that they have installed at their home. Pla is famous for her role in the show Jetlag (2001-2006) and the romance drama movie Fiction (2006). Bages can be seen in the 2022 sports drama film The Final Game.
Additionally, Marta Marco, another veteran Spanish actor, plays a small but very significant part as the Providence hospital doctor, who treats Alex after he is struck by lightning and also when he suffers the injury from the accident that happens later in the show. Marco is known for her performance in the Catalan TV show Ventdelpla (2005-2010) and the film Colonel Macia (2006). The Last Night at Tremore Beach also has some minor but noticeable supporting characters like Eva, who works at Judy’s hostel; ornithologist Ivan Saz, who was the previous tenant of Alex House; and an unnamed Interpol officer who becomes an integral part of the story, along with a few others. You need to give the show a watch to find out more.