Latino Review: First off I'm sure you're happy being in such a hit of a film like "X-Men: First Class." Was this the first American film you've appeared in?
Álex González: Yes, this is the first. I have a career in Spain but this is the first American movie that I did. It was a surprise for me because at the beginning I didn't have any vision to do anything outside of Spain. I had the opportunity to do the audition and everything that happened after that was a miracle. I think it's difficult for an actor to be in a fantastic movie such as this one, but for me it's actually a little more difficult to land a part in this movie because these roles don't normally exist for actors in my position. I'm really happy for that.
Latino Review: I have to admit, some of the funniest reactions that I read on "X-Men: First Class" had to be fan reactions about you playing Riptide. They'd write posts like 'Who's that handsome guy who makes the tornadoes?'
Álex González: (Laughs) I prefer to not think about it because I -- (tongue-tied) -- thank you for telling me that.
Latino Review: I was just saying it because there are some people who obviously really liked you, even if you were a villain. (Laughs)
Álex González: You know what, I don't usually have the opportunity to play a bad guy because they used to tell me that I look like a good boy and they normally wouldn't offer me the villain role. That's one of the reasons why I enjoyed playing Riptide in the film and also because when you play a bad guy you can allow yourself to do things that you wouldn't do in real life. You cannot be polite, you cannot be passive, you cannot do a lot of things that you would do in real life.
Latino Review: So it's basically tons of fun being a villain.
Álex González: Yeah. I love it more because you can discover different things and you can explore different things that you cannot explore with a good guy. Somebody may offer you a role to play a killer and you might say 'Oh my God, no I can't do that because I'm not a killer' but then you find out the way they think and work. It's more enjoyable to play them.
Latino Review: Had you read the "X-Men" comics before?
Álex González: Not really. Of course after they chose me I read a lot of the comics but before the movie no. The thing is that there's not too much information about Riptide in the comics because he's not a very popular character. The good thing about that is that I have the option to create my own character. The director (Matthew Vaughn) saw this and gave me the freedom to do so.
Latino Review: Yeah, but sometimes it's better that way. I assume it was a great experience working with Matthew Vaughn.
Álex González: I feel that Matthew Vaughn is a very confident director and gives you some freedom to create your own character.
Latino Review: Then have you been waiting for the call to make another "X-Men" movie?
Álex González: When we all signed up for "X-Men: First Class" we signed up for three movies. Nobody knows if we're going to do the sequel of the prequel but I don't know. It all depends on the money and other factors, but I would really love to do another "X-Men" movie.
Latino Review: It'd be great seeing you tear more stuff apart in the sequel.
Álex González: Yeah! (Laughs) Another reason why I want to do a sequel is because in the first one my English was really bad and it was a little bit difficult for me to interact with the rest of the crew. I feel that it would be more enjoyable because now I can communicate better.