Manu Ríos is firmly in his post-Élite era and ready to be the new triple threat in town!
In 2021, the Spanish hunk garnered international fame after joining the blockbuster Netflix series to portray the gay character of spoiled bad boy Patríck.
Ríos quickly became the show’s breakout star. He continued breaking hearts and the internet while flashing his taut physique as his character partook in bedroom romps with fellow cast members Arón Piper (Ander), Omar Ayuso (Omar), André Lamoglia (Ivan) and Carloto Cotta (Cruz, Ivan’s father!).
Eventually, Ríos’ Patrick settled down somewhat and struck up a relationship with Lamoglia’s Iván.
The pairing quickly became a fan favorite and received the moniker Patrivan/Ivantrick.
Take a look at the way they were:
However, their love was not meant to be as Ríos left the series at the end of season 6 and with his departure came the demise of Patríck and Iván’s relationship.
With the premiere of Élite‘s seventh season last month, Ríos is now opening up about his exit and how he’s navigating life outside the Las Encinas universe.
“When I left the series I could barely get on Twitter [now X],” Rios said in an interview with the Spanish publication El Pais Semanal. “There were very harmful comments about me.”
While he didn’t elaborate on the specifics of the online hate, no doubt many fans were reeling from the loss of Rios’ baby blues from their TV binge.
Since leaving the show at the end of 2022, Ríos has adjusted to dealing with the criticism from keyboard warriors by prioritizing his mental health. “It is the most important thing we have,” he told the outlet.
Ríos is also not straying too far from his Netflix fanbase as he’s returning to the streamer in a new sexy medical series, Respira (Breathe), that looks to be a Spanish-language take on Grey’s Anatomy.
The ensemble series finds the young actor playing a medical resident named Biel who must decide whether to continue treating patients during a hospital strike or join the frontlines in hopes of receiving better working conditions.
Ríos believes the show’s themes will resonate with audiences considering everything we’ve been through recently.
“As a society, we have realized the importance of public health,” he told El Pais.
*Respiración entrecortada* Primera imagen de Manu Ríos, Najwa Nimri, Blanca Suárez, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Alfonso Bassave y Borja Luna en #Respira. La serie llegará en 2024. pic.twitter.com/BbXS0lpWFG— Netflix España (@NetflixES) October 24, 2023
While Respira is the latest project from Élite creator Carlos Montero and features the same costume team, fans of Rios’ past work may be in for a shock.
“This role is completely different,” he said without giving any more details other than how Ríos has had a more active hand in creating the outfits the character wears. “Styling is one of the most important parts of my life,” he added.
Ríos recently took his red carpet prowess to a new level by joining forces with his stylist, former Spanish model Marc Forne, to launch the fashion brand Carrer.
Fun fact: Forne also styled Ríos for the fashion editorial shoot that accompanied the El Pais interview.
With his acting and fashion career moving at full steam ahead, Ríos is also interested in reviving his once-burgeoning singing career.
For those who may not be aware, Ríos initially went viral over a decade ago after posting YouTube videos singing covers of popular pop songs. He was labeled the “Spanish Justin Bieber” and later joined the Spanish children’s musical group Parchís.
In 2013, Ríos started work on an EP with Grammy-winning producer Richy Pena, but once his acting career started to take off the record was postponed.
Now the actor tells El Pais he wants to sing again, just not on YouTube.
With his fame only continuing to rise, Ríos’ ascension to being the male J.Lo may finally come to fruition.
While Netflix has yet to reveal a release date for Respira, check out a few more clips of Ríos flexing his vocal and sartorial skills below:
