Some stories stay with you—not because they entertain, but because they ask more of you. They stir something deeper: questions about who we are, what we carry, and what we leave behind. The best ones don’t just play out on screen. They echo.

In Eduardo Pinto’s new film CLOUDS, Guillermo Zapata plays a man confronting the weight of his past. As Pablo Prieto, he inhabits a character marked by crime, loyalty, and betrayal—a figure trying to outrun his own shadow.

But off-screen, Guillermo brings something else to the role: clarity, emotional insight, and a deep sensitivity to the human experience. So instead of just asking about the movie, we asked about the message.

Set against the stark backdrop of rural Argentina, CLOUDS follows Pablo Prieto, a man whose life has been marked by violence since he was young. Now the leader of a gang that targets isolated farming towns, Pablo’s life takes a turn when he’s confronted by someone from his past—a man who knew him as a boy and now sits in judgment as a judge.

The film has already begun to gain early attention, picking up Best Action Film at the Austin Action Fest and Best Action Script at the Toledo Action Fest—recognition that reflects its layered storytelling and emotional weight. Guillermo Zapata sees redemption in everyday effort. Not in dramatic moments, but in the way we keep showing up, trying to grow, and learning from the stories we live through. His roles reflect that, and so does the way he carries them.

The film centers on a man trying to break free from his past. Has there been a moment in your life where you had to face your history to move forward?

As an immigrant, I can definitely relate to that feeling. When I came to the United States from Argentina in 1992 at only 22 years old, I pretty much left everything behind—my family, my culture, and my language. I started an entirely new life. I am always saying that in order to achieve your goals and be successful, you need to die and be born again. I truly don’t think there is another way.

Playing Pablo Rite meant stepping into a dark and complex emotional space. What did this role awaken in you that surprised you?

Bringing Pablo Prietto to life was definitely an intense experience as he is a deep, dark, and pain-filled character. The accident he caused during his childhood left enormous damage and a deep scar, one which I don’t think can be removed without the help of a professional therapist. Thankfully, I have never felt the same deep sadness and trauma that Pablo had to carry throughout the film. However, playing this role reminded me that there is always light at the end of the tunnel, no matter the severity of the circumstances, which I think is a very important moral to live with.

So much of your work bridges intensity with introspection. How do you balance carrying a character like this without losing parts of yourself?

During my years of acting, I have learned that the only way to create this balance is by completely detaching your everyday self from the character. One person who particularly helped me learn this was Fabiana Medici, an acting coach from the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. In this scenario, considering I have not experienced the deep trauma and depression that Pablo has, I had to learn from others and integrate what I discovered into the character; however, this can sometimes be intense to embody. This makes a work-life balance and extreme concentration on the present moment very important.