Norma Ruiz's more spiritual side: "I went to give, but I came back with much more than I left there."

Many remember Norma Ruiz as Bárbara Ortiz, the evil secretary whose sole objective was to make life miserable for the protagonist of the popular mid-2000s television series, Yo soy Bea .

Away from screens, for the actress, growing up in a more analog era was always a privilege. “Before, children played in the street, learned to be bored, and were with adults without problems. Now, it seems that everything has to be childish plans, as if children can't integrate into the lives of their adults,” she explains in conversation with La Vanguardia , following her experience as a mother and the recent film release of her latest family comedy, Los futbolísimos 2.

The wind is blowing in the Madrid native's face this summer, who rose to fame on television almost two decades ago. Since then, she hasn't stopped working. Despite her vast experience in comedy, it was Idilia , her latest project in the drama genre, that earned her an international award. "In this country, they put you in compartments: those who do comedy, those who do drama... And they lack imagination in assigning roles. There's still a lot of fear of taking risks. In Spain, there's no 'star system.' No one goes to the movies just because of an actor's name. And yet, we still believe they do," she points out.

“The more you understand the human brain, the easier it will be to take off your mask, because we all have one.”

Beyond the cameras, Norma considers herself a staunch defender of the saving power of culture. For over a decade, she has dedicated part of her personal time to altruistic collaborations with the Voces Foundation, an organization that fights poverty through training and of which the performer is president. With them, she traveled to Mali in 2019, where she taught dance and acting workshops at the Bamako Conservatory of Arts, an experience that deeply marked her. “I went there, but I came back with much more than I left there,” she confesses. The actress explains that the foundation works with children and adults through culture, convinced that art can transform realities. “When people sing, dance, or perform, they relax, open up, and unite. And during that time, they're not doing anything else. They regain their hope.”

This social side, inherent in the artist, has much to do with her spiritual side, where introspection and personal growth are two fundamental pillars of her understanding of life.

For the actress, tools like meditation, participating in retreats, and solo travel are key in her daily life for learning to listen to oneself. “Ultimately, the work is personal and doesn't happen overnight. The more you know yourself and the more you understand the human brain, spirituality, and how we function, the easier it will be, at a given moment, to take off your mask, because we all have one.”

“Being connected to myself is what allows me to make good decisions. In the end, life is about decisions.”

A self-knowledge that also leads this “Madrid woman with an Andalusian soul”—as she defines herself—to make the pilgrimage along the Camino del Rocío every spring since she was a child. “People walk the Camino de Santiago, and not everyone believes in God. You don't necessarily have to be a believer. In the end, it's still a wonderful time with people, where there's a beautiful energy because precious synergies are created.”

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Justice, serenity, and not forgetting herself are her priorities at this stage of her life. “Being connected to myself is what will allow me to make good decisions. And in the end, that's what life is about: decisions.”