Milo Quifes, the breakout star of ‘La Bola Negra’: ‘I’m tired of having to come out of the closet over and over again’

Milo Quifes has gone from struggling with anxiety and isolation to starring in La Bola Negra, Spain’s highest-grossing film of the year. The film’s success and awards attention have brought his performance to international audiences, while its story of queer rejection connects closely with his own experiences.

Quifes plays Carlos, a privileged young man in 1932 Granada who is rejected by a casino because he is gay. He says filming a scene in which Carlos denies his sexuality brought back anger at having spent much of his life denying himself, and he is tired of repeatedly having to come out. The film was inspired by an unfinished play by Federico García Lorca and has won an audience award in Toronto and a directing prize at Cannes.