Nearly a decade after capturing international attention as a breakout star of Netflix’s splashy European teen phenomenon Elite, Spanish actor Ester Expósito is actively rewriting the trajectory of her career. At 26 years old, Expósito has officially stepped into the realm of romance, action, and high-stakes thrillers, headlining Amazon Prime Video’s Drawn Together. The film serves as the first installment in a Spanish-language duology adapted from Mercedes Ron’s bestselling novel Marfil.
In Drawn Together, Expósito stars as Marfil, a wealthy ballet student residing in New York City whose privileged world is upended when she is briefly kidnapped in Central Park. Her subsequent dynamic with a stoic, brooding bodyguard—played by Hugo Diego Garcia—turns the traditional, archaic romance tropes of the past on their head. Rather than serving as a passive damsel in distress waiting to be rescued, Expósito’s character is fiercely independent, demanding to learn how to fight back and ultimately putting her own body between danger and her protector.
In a comprehensive and revealing interview with Glamour, Expósito opens up about her initial reluctance to sign onto a young adult (YA) project, her rigorous and unconventional on-and-off-set training regimens, her conscious decision to shed societal beauty standards (including ditching everyday mascara), and her bold ambitions to conquer the English-language market.
Detailed Chronology: From Hesitation to Action Stardom
Overcoming YA Fatigue and Finding the Script
When the project was first brought to her by producers Álex de la Iglesia and Carolina Ban, Expósito admits she was initially hesitant. Having consciously avoided the YA genre since her meteoric rise on Elite in 2018, she was wary of falling into a repetitive career pigeonhole. Furthermore, despite her global celebrity, she had never before starred in a romantic feature film.
However, everything shifted once she read the script. Expósito was immediately seduced by the subversion of the genre’s classic bodyguard narrative.
“I loved the fact that Marfil is so stubborn and not the victim that needs to be saved,” Expósito reflects. “She wants to take control of the situation and learn how to fight, how to defend herself after she gets kidnapped. That’s something I felt really connected with from the character.”
The Immersive Training Regimen
Portraying an aspiring fighter required Expósito to step completely out of her comfort zone. Having had zero prior boxing or combat experience before landing the role, she underwent a fast-paced physical transformation. Interestingly, because her character was learning boxing from scratch alongside her bodyguard, Expósito’s real-time learning curve mirrored Marfil’s journey on screen.
Her co-star, Hugo Diego Garcia, proved to be an invaluable asset. An experienced lifelong practitioner and former boxing trainer, Garcia took his role as an instructor off-camera just as seriously as he did on-screen. According to Expósito, the professional partnership quickly evolved into a collaborative athletic endeavor, with the actor proving to be a remarkably fast learner under pressure.
Bonding in the Shadows of Madrid
Chemistry on screen often requires breaking down personal barriers off-screen. Expósito and Garcia built their dynamic through extensive dialogue rehearsals and script reviews, but it was an impromptu, late-night training session that truly cemented their bond.
Recalling a memorable evening out in Madrid, Expósito shares a colorful anecdote:
“He’s French, so he moved to Madrid, and it was his first time there. I invited him to go out dancing in a club with my friends one day. And, I don’t know, two guys did stupid things, and I got a little bit mad—angry—and I was a little bit stressed. And he was like, ‘Okay, you need to let it go. Let’s practice boxing,’ because of the movie and all the things. So we started to train boxing in the club, like at 3 a.m. Me wearing heels without gloves, so I hurt his hands. But it was funny way to start to connect with the movie, with the story, and with each other, because we barely knew each other by then.”
Supporting Context & Metrics: Aesthetic Choices and Cultural Impact
Channeling 1990s Romantic Aesthetics
A striking visual element of Drawn Together is its deliberate homage to 1990s cinema. From the film’s color grading and photographic composition to the characters’ wardrobe and makeup, the creative team pulled heavily from the aesthetic playbook of classic ’90s romantic thrillers.
Expósito’s signature look in the film—characterized by a distinct, smudged lip line reminiscent of ’90s romance leads—was achieved through careful curation. Rather than relying on rigid, precisely drawn cosmetic lines, the makeup department utilized natural, lip-matching liners (such as shades from Charlotte Tilbury and Westman Atelier) blended softly with the fingertips to achieve a lived-in, effortless elegance. When asked about her cinematic inspirations, Expósito cites classic neo-noir and romantic thrillers like Al Pacino’s Sea of Love, proving her cinematic palate extends far beyond standard contemporary fare.
The Evolution of Beauty Standards: Ditching Mascara
Beyond the screen, Expósito has increasingly embraced a minimalist approach to personal grooming, most notably discarding everyday mascara. Having used heavy eye makeup throughout her teenage years due to societal pressures, she experienced a profound realization regarding her natural appearance.
“I used to use it a lot more, when I was a teenager because you’re told that you have to use mascara to look good, you know? I discovered that I love it sometimes, but I feel my beauty is much more clear and fresh and natural without mascara, and my eyes look bigger or brighter. When I realized that, I was like, Yeah, I’m gonna stop using it that much. Just for special moments, occasions.”
This philosophy extends to her overall relationship with cosmetics. By paring her daily routine down to skincare essentials like SPF, Expósito has liberated herself from unnecessary expectations, realizing that authentic confidence often resides in simplicity.
Official Statements and Industry Insights
Navigating Fame and Managing the Noise
Having spent nearly a decade navigating the hyper-scrutinized waters of international fame, Expósito has cultivated an impressive degree of emotional resilience. Rising to global stardom at an exceptionally young age via Elite brought intense public exposure, social media scrutiny, and relentless speculation surrounding her personal life—including high-profile relationships, such as her romance with French soccer star Kylian Mbappé.
Reflecting on the psychological shock of early fame, Expósito offers wisdom to her younger self:
“That it’s okay to not be liked and loved by everyone, and that is completely natural. It’s impossible, you know, that everybody loves you, agrees with you, or likes you. I think I always knew that, of course. But when you become so known, so young, it shocks you. You know, with social media.”
Expósito notes that true peace came when she realized that online vitriol and public hostility are rarely about the individual targeted. Instead, they reflect the internal states of the critics. By detaching her self-worth from public validation, she has maintained complete autonomy over her narrative.
Future Outlook: Hollywood Horizons and the Drawn Together Sequel
Crossing Borders: Entering the English-Language Market
While Expósito remains deeply rooted in Spain—expressing a profound love for her home country and a desire to continue working there—she admits to a personal restlessness that demands continuous reinvention. Always seeking fresh stimuli and creative challenges, she has her sights firmly set on expanding her footprint within the United States and the English-language film industry.
Having already dipped her toes into American cinema by starring in the upcoming film Baton alongside Danny Ramirez, Expósito views linguistic and cultural cross-pollination as the next logical frontier for her career. Adapting to new production environments, differing cinematic cultures, and English-language scripts represents the kind of high-stakes challenge she thrives on.
Gearing Up for Kill Bill-Level Action in the Sequel
For fans captivated by the romance-meets-thriller blend of Drawn Together, Expósito promises that the upcoming sequel will dramatically elevate the stakes. While the first film leaned heavily into romantic tension anchored by a foundational thriller plot, the second installment shifts entirely into high-octane action and pulse-pounding survival.
"My character in the second one is so different. She goes through a super-interesting arc. The first movie is more a romantic movie with a little bit of thriller. The second one is mainly thriller and action. My character, she’s like Kill Bill. Totally different. She applies everything that she learned in the first movie that Sebastian taught her."
With Drawn Together currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Ester Expósito is no longer just the defining face of European youth television; she is systematically cementing her status as a global action star and a formidable cinematic force of the future.
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