Tracing back the stellar journey of Manu Ríos, the multi-hyphenate actor, singer, dancer and model’s career path up to date.
You may spot him sitting in the front row at a YSL runway show in Paris, dressed in black from head to toe. Photographed for Vanity Fair. Gracing the cover of Vogue Man. Honestly, these days, Manu Ríos is everywhere.
Those who have been following the Spanish actor from his early beginnings know his widespread popularity can actually be traced back to an Instagram career alive way before the word “influencer” was common jargon. The not-yet-actor was notorious for his good looks, curated feed, and loyal following. What might come as a surprise to others, however, is that Manu Ríos had been in the public eye ever since 2008, with his appearance in a Spanish musical program known as Cantando en Familia. And here’s the thing; not only is Manu Ríos a talented actor, model, and social media personality; but the 24-year-old can also both dance and sing to save his life.
Like anyone in their teens that could perform in the early 2000s, Ríos was wise and launched himself into a Youtube career. It was a phenomenon that TikTok has now taken over, but that used to pave the way for many great musicians of our time, namely Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendez or The Weekend. A not-too-deep scroll on Río’s YouTube shows a much younger version of him singing to Adele, or covering Vacance Joy with impressive confidence, and it started to build him a loyal online fanbase.
His real launch to international stardom, however, came with his appearance on the Spanish teen hit show, Élite. It was a turning point for the 24-year-old, especially with the show’s rising popularity as a Spanish version of the HBO hit show Euphoria. Playing the role of Patrick, Ríos was quick to impress with his charming good looks and saucy scenes of his character’s complex gay polyamorous relationship.
Nowadays, however, we have become used to seeing Ríos front row in some of the world’s most notorious and exclusive fashion shows. Always dressed in black but never boring, Ríos headlines with plunging necklines, leather, and an understated sensuality. He has become something of a Saint Laurent muse, always playing with sheer chemises and outfits that feel like modern re-interpretations of the Matrix.
But what, if anything, is Manu Ríos up to now?
We recently saw him launch his latest film venture in Cannes alongside Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal, and he will soon feature in the Netflix production, El Silencio. In the meantime, he has signed with WME for representation, representatives of some of the industry’s greatest, so good things are bound to come.
We’ll be waiting to cover them.