Meet Gloria Ramos – adidas Store Assistant and Goya-Nominated Actress
Setting goals and finding the right team to make them happen has taken this player to the top of her game.
Top talent is something I’ve become accustomed to working with as a member of the adidas Corporate Communication team – talent from within our company and also externally through the inspiring athletes and designers we partner with. But 2019 started with an altogether outstanding interview with a colleague who is nominated for a Goya (the Oscars of Spanish cinema).
Meet Gloria Ramos, a sales assistant in our Gran Vía store in Madrid, who has successfully chased her childhood dream of becoming an actress and stars in Campeones (Champions), a hit film released in 2018.
We all know it’s pretty hard to make our dreams come true at the best of times but, for Gloria, she has the added hurdle of having Down syndrome.
Chasing a dream to become a champion
Campeones is the story of a professional basketball coach who is ordered to do community service, with Los Amigos, a team of people with disabilities. Gloria plays the role of Collantes, the only girl on the team who is a true fighter, with a never-say-die attitude.
Gloria explains, “Collantes is really quite rough and says a lot of bad words. In general, I’m nothing like her but I learned how to become her, how she ticks, through the movie director Javier Fesser. He taught me everything I needed to know about my character. I also had a lot of help from Javier Gutiérrez, the film lead who plays the role of our basketball coach.”
Campeones was the highest-grossing Spanish language film of 2018 in Spain, with a box-office taking of €19.1 million, so how is Gloria dealing with her new-found fame?
“It’s just been incredible. I still can’t believe the movie is nominated for Best Film and I was nominated in the Best New Actress at the Goyas. We are all going to the gala, which is in Sevilla this year. I hope we come away with one. If I don’t win it’s because there are other actresses that also really deserve it.”
Teamwork keeps everything on track
Gloria is juggling two careers thanks to her strong work ethic. “It’s true, balancing acting and a day job is tough, it’s hard to get to everything. On the one hand I want to grow as an actress and work hard, but also I’m very conscious that every Monday I need to be at my best for my job at adidas on Gran Vía. I believe you can do both, but you have to want to.”
The story of Campeones focuses on teamwork and achieving success together. How important is teamwork for you in your daily life? “I have great support from my colleagues in the store. You always have to work together just like in the film – you have to work hard and always listen to the coach.”
Putting people with disabilities on the big screen is extremely important for Gloria. “It’s really great that this type of movie is made. It helps us all to be less afraid. Many times we are judged by our disability and we are stopped from doing things. This hurts when it happens.”
“I want to continue acting, continue learning and make it on to television roles. I’m a big fan of Disney’s ‘Descendants’ and I love the work of Dove Cameron and, in Spain, Antonio Resinas. One day I’d like to be as good as them. At the same time, I love my job at adidas so I’m happy if I can keep doing both.”
I can only agree with you. This statement rocks! Kudos to Gloria for being such a strong woman and a great inspiration for all of us.
Nina