Enrique Arce

The Bet on the Two Million Pesetas

Enrique Arce didn't start out with a script in hand. He was studying fourth year of law in Valencia when he decided the law wasn't for him. He entered a TV contest called Ellos i elles on the Valencian regional channel and won first prize. It was two million pesetas at the time.

With that money, he moved to New York.

It was a daring, all-or-nothing decision that led him to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. There he learned his craft far from the noise and industry labels of Spain. He went hungry and cold, but he returned to Spain with a technical training that few actors of his generation had.

After returning, he landed supporting roles in series that defined national television in the 1990s. He appeared in Periodistas and Compañeros without making much media noise. He worked steadily, but his name still didn't appear on the lists of the press's most searched names.

The Villain the World Loved to Hate

In 2017, his career changed dramatically. He was offered the role of Arturo Román in an Antena 3 series that seemed destined for quick, local consumption. It was called La Casa de Papel. His character was an insufferable hostage who brought out the worst in every viewer.

But Netflix bought the rights, and the phenomenon exploded worldwide.

Suddenly, Arce became the most hated man on international television. He received insults in twenty different languages on the street, and his face appeared on billboards in Times Square. Arturito was a coward and a manipulator, the kind of character that often sinks careers if the actor can't handle it. Enrique Arce used it as a springboard.

And the gamble paid off.

That success allowed him to stop fighting for small parts in Spain and start receiving calls from agencies in Los Angeles. He wasn't looking to be the leading man. He realized his niche lay in complex characters and in his ability to speak English with professional fluency.

Conquering the Anglo-Saxon Market

In 2019, he appeared in Terminator: Dark Fate alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. It wasn't a large role, but it got Hollywood casting directors to take note of his contact details. Arce always knew the Spanish market was too small for him after the streaming platforms exploded.

He filmed On the Line in 2022, sharing the lead with Mel Gibson. A year later, in 2023, he appeared in the action comedy Murder Mystery 2 with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler. Also in 2023, he joined the cast of The Family Plan for Apple TV+.

He published his first novel, La grandeza de las cosas pequeñas, in 2018.

In 2024, he joined the shoot of Rich Flu, a production directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia. The contract set very specific filming conditions to secure international distribution. The film had a production budget of more than five million euros.