We had the opportunity at Infamous Horror to speak with filmmaker Álex de la Iglesia about his new series “30 Coins” for HBO, how the story came about in his mind, how he balances fantasy, drama, and horror. Also his love for shooting locations in Jerusalem,
- How did your vision for 30 Coins all come about?
- The initial concept was to make a horror story in a small town. When we began to write, suddenly we were writing a story that takes place around the world, which is difficult to shoot. When we talked to HBO and asked if it could be bigger, they said of course, let’s go bigger. So we follow the intention of the characters and their consequences of fighting to get the coins across the globe.
- What has been some of your favorite moments filming the series?
- Shooting in Jerusalem was amazing. We shot a lot of sequences there that didn’t make the final cut. Shooting in New York as well – filming in Times Square was a dream come true.
- There is so much going on in 30 Coins, with fantasy, drama, and horror. How do you balance that as a filmmaker?
- Making movies is like planning a party. There’s pressure to play a certain type of music, but I love the balance – I love death metal and I love Frank Sinatra. People try not to mix things, but I love it. It’s like life. No moment is every pure comedy or pure drama – it’s mixed. Parts of the day are dramatic, parts are comedic. We’re making art that tries to imitate life.
- How important is it to have 30 Coins airing on HBO?
- This show is impossible without HBO. HBO is the only place where this kind of show would be. I can’t imagine another studio making it. others have so many questions. They say, this isn’t normal, don’t put so much in an episode. But with HBO you have a lot of creative freedom to do what you want. They are always supporting you.
“30 Coins” is now currently airing its second season on HBO and season one and season two episodes are available to stream on MAX.
