PH: Elliot Marwil
Juan is a Uruguayan, Argentine, and Spanish actor trained internationally, bringing exceptional adaptability to both dramatic and comedic roles. Born on November 19th, 1997 in Montevideo, Uruguay, to Argentine parents with Spanish grandparents and Italian and Syrian-Lebanese roots, he grew up playing rugby and football with his brothers and friends. He attended Saint Patrick’s and the British Schools of Montevideo, where he built a solid command of English.
His professional and academic profile reflects an extensive combination of artistic rigor and structured expertise. Alongside his formal drama instruction at Escuela Dodeca, Juan holds a degree in Communication and Media Studies from Universidad Católica del Uruguay, completed after initially studying Psychology. His background also includes studies in Business Administration and International Baccalaureate coursework at The British Schools of Montevideo, supplemented by full-stack software programming at Radium Rocket and two years of jazz piano at the music conservatory.
Juan started taking guitar lessons at 15 and taught himself piano at 17. Acting came to him at 19 when a friend, Delfina, invited him to join her Wednesday theatre group. In 2019, he moved to Barcelona to attend Escola d’Actors, but when the pandemic hit and he lost his job at a bar, he busked with a borrowed guitar before returning to Montevideo. There, he worked in restaurants and as a fashion model while continuing his acting training.
In February 2023, while staying at his grandmother’s house in Buenos Aires, Juan discovered director Marco Berger through a podcast called Les Actuantes by Zoe David. He reached out, enrolled in a summer intensive course, and was cast a few months later.
His career encompasses key screen roles, including appearing in projects such as HBO Max’s Margarita and Amazon’s Catedrales. In 2024, he co-starred in the Peruvian musical feature Locos de Amor: Mi Primer Amor, directed by Miguel Valladares. During a weekend off from that shoot, he starred in the short film Sinfonía del Silencio, winning the Best Actor award at the local 48h Film Festival. The film placed in the international top ten and earned a screening at the Short Film Corner at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
In late 2025, after graduating from university, Juan wrote, directed, produced, and edited his first short film, Tratto, right after attending BFI Flare in London. The film was selected for the official lineup of the London Latino Film Festival, where he will present it in October. Currently based in San Sebastián, Spain, Juan frequently travels to Madrid for filming, recently completing a role as a Mexican character in the series Planos de Atracción for the platform DramaClick, leveraging his passion for accents. In addition to acting, Juan is an accomplished musician proficient in guitar, piano, vocals, bass, drums, harmonica, and trumpet, as well as an active athlete and cook.
Commentary from Pinocchio Magazine
Juan starred in the film Perro Perro by Marco Berger. The film uses a surreal concept where dogs and cats are played by naked human actors without offering any explanation for this creative choice. This device makes it possible to visualize the unique connection between a wild dog and its owner. An immediate, intimate bond forms, highlighting the subtle complicity that often arises in such relationships. The naked body of Juan functions as a theatrical costume, allowing him to reclaim the innocent, animal instinct of his character. Berger is celebrated for capturing nuances of homoerotic tension without resorting to vulgar choices, maintaining an atmosphere that remains elegant and intriguing. It represents a major acting achievement, as Juan delivers a highly eloquent performance without ever speaking words, except for a brief dreamlike sequence where he whispers unintelligible phrases. His expressiveness relies entirely on body movement and eye contact. Intelligently, Juan avoids mimicking a dog and instead uncovers the profound human qualities animals reveal in their gazes and gestures. This creates a character expressing the humanity of animals while exposing the raw, pure animal nature within everyone. Free of overacting or caricature, this rediscovery of humanity allows Juan to dominate the screen, embodying the deep bond between human and beast without speaking a single line.
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