José Sacristán became the legend he was destined to be and his inseparable Andrés Pajares came to win a Goya. The same films, from Los bingueros to Pepito Piscinas, condemned him to labor oblivion as an icon of an uncomfortable time of Spanish cinema.

Until Agustí Villaronga, who died after finishing filming, offered him a leading role in the recently released Loli Tormenta. "It's a shame that the only director who has trusted me in 30 years has died," Esteso laments.