Olga Mansilla: From Biology to the Art of Theatre and Acting Skills

By Tamer Salah El-Din – Egypt

It only took one scene to reveal the brilliance of Spanish actress Olga Mansilla in Secundarias, the film by her compatriot Arturo Dueñas Herrero, which won the Youssef Chahine Award for Outstanding Directing at the 41st Alexandria Mediterranean Film Festival, held in the historic Egyptian city from October 2 to 6.

In her brief yet striking role as a wardrobe assistant in a historical play, Mansilla conveys a subtle sense of duality — a woman capable of embodying contradictory emotions and characters. In a lighthearted “chat” with a young actress within the film, she speaks of her dreams, reveals how she has memorized every line of the play, and admits her secret wish: to step onto the stage and play one of the story’s noble characters.

But could she truly achieve that — both in the script and in her performance?

From Working Woman to True Queen:

The chance finally arrives. The leading actress playing the queen is absent. The stage director doesn’t yet know, nor do the other actors. Quickly, with a gentle smile and burning enthusiasm, Olga asks a young colleague to help her into the royal costume — she places the crown on her head and steps into the moment with breathtaking simplicity.

Thanks to the director’s use of a “camera-on-shoulder” technique — a cost-saving, documentary-style method — the entire scene was filmed in one shot, an impressive feat for a feature-length film rather than a short.

Mansilla dons the queen’s garments, yet still appears as the same working woman. She moves toward the stage wings, straightens her posture, smiles faintly — as if watching her dream finally take shape. Then she takes two steps back, inhales deeply, lifts her head, and advances toward the stage like someone born in royal halls.

Her confident, composed walk, her noble bearing, and her calm authority turn her into a convincing monarch confronting a stubborn king in 16th-century Spain — where her character’s role within the play merges beautifully with her real-life identity as a “secondary woman.” In truth, she mastered both roles.

Who is Olga Mansilla?

Olga Mansilla is a Spanish artist whose life has traversed diverse worlds and disciplines. After studying biology in Spain, she made a bold decision to abandon the sciences and devote herself entirely to the arts — as a theatre actress, puppet maker, and designer of costumes and stage garments.

She is an active member of Teatro Corsario, one of Spain’s most respected independent theatre companies, especially prominent in the Castilla y León region. Through her work with the troupe, Mansilla has volunteered and practiced a range of artistic and technical roles, gaining an all-encompassing understanding of theatrical production, from performance to behind-the-scenes craftsmanship.

Experience That Bears Fruit:

From biology to theatre, and from puppet-making to royal embodiment, Olga Mansilla has followed a uniquely unorthodox path — one that makes her a multi-skilled, multifaceted artist. She treats art not as a profession, but as a continuous journey of self-discovery and human exploration.

Her presence in Secundarias is not a passing appearance but rather a distillation of her long career with Teatro Corsario, where she performed in productions such as La Barraca de Colón, El Burlador de Sevilla, and Clásicos en los parques, while also designing costumes and accessories for numerous independent shows.

In the film by Arturo Dueñas Herrero, Mansilla’s moving performance redefines the meaning of a “secondary role.” It demonstrates that true artistry is not measured by screen time or fame, but by the depth of emotion that lingers in memory — that moment when a working woman becomes, even if just for an instant, a queen.