‘Élite’ stud André Lamoglia talks moving on without Manu Ríos & why everyone should be an LGBTQ+ ally

Believe it or not, Élite is moving forward without our boy Manu Ríos.

The Spanish actor won’t be returning to the hit Netflix teen telenovela for the show’s new season and his equally gorgeous on-screen lover, André Lamoglia, is spilling tea on what fans can expect now that the fan-favorite couple is dunzo.

With Rios’ gay character of Patrick exiting following the events of the season six finale, Lamoglia’s bisexual character of Ivan will be picking up the pieces with a new romantic prospect.

“In the sixth season, the character of Manu Rios, Iván’s romantic partner, says goodbye to the series and new love conflicts appear”, Lamoglia said in an interview with the Brazilian publication Quem.

The actor also explained how he used Iván and Patrick’s past history to help inform how he moved forward with his portrayal during this new phase of the character.

“I think the most challenging thing is, each season, to align the essence of Iván’s personality with the changes that have been happening to him due to the traumatic situations he experienced in the sixth season, which made the character change his way of reacting to situations, actually becoming more reactive,” Lamoglia added. “It’s as if this shell created by suffering made him develop other sides of his own personality, which had not yet been accessed before.”

Fully aware of Elite‘s penchant for the melodramatic, the Brazilian star also touched on how the exclusive private school world depicted on the show, along with the mysterious crimes at the center of each season’s storyline, are a million years away from any sort of reality he experienced when he was a teenager.

“My concerns at school had more to do with passing the final math test, not forgetting to do my homework, and finding opportunities to play ball and hang out with friends,” he told the outlet.

“Elite does not have the premise of being based on what usually happens, it is very much in a fictional sphere, and the murders are an example of that. I can say that I identify with Iván when it comes to him being a true and loyal friend, who you can really count on, to those he calls a friend.”

While Elite‘s attractive cast have contributed to its success – it’s Netflix’s longest running Spanish-language series – the show has always been lauded for its diverse characters and storylines, which includes highlighting the LGBTQ+ community. A staunch ally, Lamoglia expressed how proud he is to play Iván and to have been embraced by queer audiences.

“Struggles such as those involving LGBTQIA+ causes, racism and feminism should not only belong to the groups they belong to, but to everyone. It should be a basic principle to see the person as equal and with the same rights, regardless of his color, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc. Honestly, I cannot understand how anyone would find it acceptable to act differently than this, as disrespect is not a matter of opinion,” the 26-year-old shared.

“I am very happy to have been welcomed by the LGBTQIA+ audience and proud to play Iván. I hope that the diversity in audiovisual narratives continues to grow and that they are increasingly inclusive, from their casts to their scripts.”

While he’s very committed to Elite, Lamoglia is also branching out with new roles and recently got a chance to fulfill his dream of working in English on an undisclosed project.

“I recorded a series in English. However, that’s all I can say for now, as details are still under wraps,” he teased. “But it was a great desire, after doing works in Spanish and, of course, also in Portuguese, to act in a production in English.”

Although we’ll have to wait to find out the name of that production, fans can catch Lamoglia back as Iván when season 7 of Elite premieres on October 20th.

Check out more of Lamoglia’s sizzling photos from his hot boy summer and then watch the season 7 trailer of Elite below: