Salva Reina, Malaga winner of Spain's Goya film academy award, limps back to the city

He arrived in Malaga less than an hour ago and here we are already asking the doorman to speak with him at his family's home in Calle Salitre, in the heart of El Perchel district. It takes him just a few seconds to come down with the Goya bust in his hand . Not a week has passed since the two were paired up, but it's clearly a good match. Salva Reina looks more composed than he did last Saturday, but he has not lost that beaming smile. His face lights up every time someone mentions his triumph, press and public alike. "Olé, what a good actor you are!", "I'm so happy for you, man!", "Salva, you're so funny!", "Can we take a picture?", they say to him non-stop while we try to interview him. Behind such congratulations are real fondness and admiration, two constants that follow Salva Reina. He is the talented actor who last Saturday broke all the odds and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for The 47. However, it remains to be seen whether a Goya will turn you into something really special. "So far I've only had offers to appear in the Cabalgata", he says with as much jest as irony.

He is sporting a deep green jumper that suggests he might be a supporter of basketball team Joventut, but you would be much mistaken as he's a firm fan of Unicaja. The 'Cajistas' fortunately beat Joventut in the first knockout round of the Copa del Rey. Salva also reached a different final last Saturday and lived up to his surname for Reina(r) - ruling - on the night of the Goya Awards. He does not hide the fact that he has been up on cloud nine but is now coming down: "...on Wednesday I finished answering the last message", says the actor, who has been busy replying to everyone sending him their congratulations. From the mayor of Malaga to his closest friends. "Even my parents are overwhelmed by people's congratulations", he says, while another neighbour passes by and exclaims: "Salvaaaaaa". Say no more.

Not surprisingly, this is the second Goya coming to the neighbourhood. "Correct, the other one was won by Joaquín Núñez for Group 7, so pleased for him, plus he's a family friend." Like his neighbour and fellow actor, Salva Reina was chosen by a casting director to shine in this role, something he did not forget to mention in his emotional and moving speech. "You have to thank those brave people for giving a guy who's associated with comedy roles, and a guy who's already going grey, the opportunity to play other kinds of roles", says the actor, who goes on to name them: "From Juanma Lara, who was the first to give me the opportunity in Malaga, to Marcel Barrena, director of The 47, I will always be eternally grateful to them."

His praiseworthy speech has also brought him some criticism. Or, as he puts it, "a little bit of a bummer." "The fact that no person is illegal is undisputed. Afterwards we can discuss politics or borders, but people are people", he says. The criticism has to do with his award-winning role as Felipín, the economic migrant from Malaga working in Catalonia in the 1960s who was treated socially at that time in the same way as those who cross the Strait of Gibraltar today. "I don't have the answers, but it is good to remember those Andalusian emigrants, both for those who suffered from andalufobia and for those who also promote catalonophobia from here. That is the greatness of cinema", he says about the message of the award-winning The 47, the film that talks about the struggle for dignity in a suburb of Barcelona created by the 'charnegos' (pejorative term in Catalonia - xarnego in Catalan - for economic migrants coming from other regions of Spain from the 1950s to the '70s) who fought for their recognition and rights.

Unfortunately, as well as a lot of joy, the aftermath of the Goyas can bring unexpected health problems. This is no joke. Reina arrived at the gala with a slightly battered knee and came out much the worse for wear when the adrenaline of winning made nothing hurt for a good while. "The craziest thing that has happened to me is that on Monday I ended up in hospital because I screwed up my knee and the next day they pulled out a tooth," he says with his usual humour. The tooth was a scheduled event, but not the other mishap. "I arrived at the gala with a bad meniscus and then I saw images of me talking to myself: 'It's not going to hurt, you bastard!' I even get down on my knees when I go on stage. What happens is that with the joy I was overwhelmed by everything, just like the fourth day of partying at the 'feria'", says the actor of Malaka and Lord, Give Me Patience ('Señor, dame paciencia'). By Monday he was on crutches. He had no choice but to live with it and so today he was already seated and quite at ease in the doorway of his house for Dani Maldonado's photos.

Salva Reina has made this stopover in Malaga to be with his family and to see the Unicaja team play - if this interview will let him - before leaving for Plasencia, where this Saturday he will stage his latest monologue. While he has not yet been cast in new roles, the Goya effect has been felt in his upcoming shows as they are almost sold out. The visit will also allow him to leave the Goya at his parents' house, although in the end he has accepted SUR's proposal, which was made to him on the awards night. "Yes, I'm going to take the statuette to La Cochera [his stage space in Malaga] and it will be there for a little while so that the onlookers who want to come by can see it or have their photo taken", says Reina. He probably deserves to be allowed to go and see Unicaja play. At that moment, he still didn't know that he was going to enjoy watching a team that has ended up reaching the semi-finals, as Juan Calderón tells us. For the sake of Salva's health, let's hope he didn't end up on his knees again at that joyful news.