Manu Ríos Says He's Unlike His Wild Character Patrick on Netflix's Hit Series 'Élite'

The Netflix Spanish series "Élite" has been called a mix of "How To Get Away With Murder" and "Gossip Girl" by the website PureWow. This may be why the series, now in its fifth season with a sixth in the offing, is the streaming giant's second most-viewed Spanish-language series.

Another reason may be that it doesn't shy away in depicting queer relationships.

"At the heart of each season of�''Élite'�lies a juicy mystery, but as the years have passed, the show has further embraced the tangled love lives of its core teen characters," writes W magazine. "Season five sexes things up to a fever pitch, offering another titillating whodunnit sandwiched between smouldering sexual tension, an abundance of on-screen bottoming and Nathy Peluso on the soundtrack."

Most recently with the pairing of transfer student Iván (André Lamoglia), who comes to the elite private school Las Encinas, and Patrick (Manu Ríos), another relatively new member of the cast who arrived last season. While claiming to be straight, Iván finds himself attracted to Patrick after they take a shower together.

Before shooting the steamy scene, Lamoglia admitted he was nervous in an interview with the website Hugo Gloss. "It was much more relaxed than I imagined. We have a whole preparation for that. At the time of these scenes, the team is all reduced on the set, at that moment there are only those that need to be there."

For his part Ríos said that he found it difficult to embrace the irreverent and reckless Patrick. "At the beginning I was kind of shy and before shooting the show we had to do rehearsals, crazy exercises to get out of your comfort zone," he says. "So, it was a little bit hard on me at the beginning," he told W.

"I mean, it's not like I'm not a carefree type of person," he added to W. "But if I've learned something from him, it's to act a different way in certain situations because he's really impulsive and not a good role model."

He continued that "Élite's" strength came with "its refusal to box its characters in; not one character is, objectively, a good role model.

"I think that's what's super interesting about�'Élite.' With all of the characters, it's not that they're a bad person or a good person," he said. "They have both shadows and light, and I think that's what makes them so real."

Prior to "Élite," Ríos was a child star, appearing in musicals, talent shows and TV roles,He transitioned to YouTube–but when he was cast in�"Élite," his first adult role, little could prepare him for the magnitude of fame that comes with starring in Netflix's second most popular Spanish-speaking series. In the 10 months since his first appearance, Ríos's�Instagram�following has rocketed from south of five million to 10 million. He is, according to the website HighXtar.com, one of the biggest Spanish influencers in the world.

But initially he was afraid to take the role, not because of its open sexuality, but because of how he fit into the narrative's dynamic in nurturing a polyamorous relationship with the characters Omar and Ander on Season 4. "I was so scared at the beginning because I knew I was getting into something. People loved Omar and Ander, and I was scared they were going to hate me or hate the character because he gets between them," he explained. "It can be overwhelming sometimes but people love the character. I read a lot of comments that they want to see more about Patrick and get more in depth about his feelings."

On the show's fifth season, Patrick hosts a sex-charged rave. "It was fun [to shoot]," Ríos says. "You know, this time I had fun because I'd already shot one season before, so I knew how things worked. Also, Patrick this season is more chill–he's more focused on love, but he is, obviously, still Patrick. It was fun to be in touch with a different part of him."

But the sequence being shot during Covid, led to an odd dissonance when filming. "Patrick's party is a pure distillation of�Élite's brand of horny chaos, with dozens of minimally-clad European bodies packed tightly into a club and indiscriminately making out with each other. But filmed in the throes of Covid, it took on a greater importance for the young cast, a chance to recoup certain highs stolen by the pandemic," wrote W.

"Since we couldn't go to parties in real life, to be able to dance for even 15 seconds with a lot of people was close enough to a real party," Ríos said. "It was nice to be in that moment with everyone–even for 15 seconds."

Ríos began his show business career at the age of 9 when he started uploading YouTube videos of covers after being inspired by Justin Bieber. His first was a cover of Jessie J's "Price Tag." "Since then, his 1.72M subscriber-strong channel has seen him cover everything from Vance Joy's 'Riptide' to Rihanna's 'Diamonds,'" writes Wonderland Magazine.

While keeping his personal life private, Ríos uses his social media platforms to embrace queer rights. "I think it's really important to spread love and positivity. Also, to stay educated and educate yourself on topics that matter such as sexism, racial discrimination and the LGBTQIA+ community. Society right now is just mental and it's important to spread the love!" he told Wonderland Magazine.

"I try not to put much pressure on myself," he continued. "At the end of the day, I don't want to be a role model. Of course, I want to use my platform to talk about important things and important topics. As a public person with this amount of followers, I think it's important to use my voice. I'm a normal person, I make mistakes and I just want to use my platform positively. But some things you just need to keep private, I share what I want to share but I also have this personal, private life that I don't want to put on social media."