Just when you thought the queer pop pantheon had all the Omars it needed—Omar Apollo with his sad-boy R&B and sultry selfies, Omar Rudberg with his high-cheekboned charisma and Swedish bops—another Omar steps forward. And he’s not just stepping. He’s sashaying, belting, and giving queer Spain what it desperately ordered: a triple-threat heartthrob with hairy pits and range.
Enter Omar Ayuso, the 27-year-old Spaniard best known for setting thirst traps on fire as Omar Shanaa in Netflix’s horny hit Elite. His brooding eyes and NSFW eyebrows were practically part of the plot. But with his latest role in the musical dramedy Mariliendre, Ayuso is leaving the elite high school drama behind—and stepping into his diva era.
He plays Luis, a fashion model with the aloofness of a catwalk queen and the muscle tone of someone who says “I don’t really go to the gym,” while clearly going to the gym a lot. But the real twist? Ayuso had to sing for the role.
“We had to prepare a hit from the 2000s, and I decided to sing ‘La gata bajo la lluvia’ [‘The Cat in the Rain’] by Rocío Dúrcal, which isn’t from the 2000s,” Ayuso confessed on Late Xou with Marc Giró. The choice? Iconic. The execution? Apparently not. “It was terrifying.”
Still, Ayuso leaned into the chaos. Giró asked him to sing it live on the show, and Ayuso delivered—crooning into the mic while rain effects poured dramatically onto the set. Co-star Martin Urrutia slow danced with the host. Theatrical? Yes. Queer excellence? Also yes.
Now airing on Atresplayer (Spain’s answer to HBO, if HBO also adored glitter and heartbreak ballads), Mariliendre is the latest creation from Los Javis—Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, the genius gay couple behind Veneno and Paquita Salas. This time, they’re telling the story of a woman who once ruled Madrid’s queer nightlife but now finds herself in a life crisis—and the only solution is a musical journey back to her roots (read: gay bars and emotional breakdowns with drag queens).
The title Mariliendre roughly translates to “f*g hag,” a term that creator Javier Ferreiro wants to reclaim.
“A term that society has traditionally used in a derogatory way and that, like the word f*ggot, must be filled with pride,” he told Vanity Fair España. “That is why Mariliendre aims to be a tribute to all those women who gave their nights and days for all of us. Thank you for being there, friends.”
Yes. Thank you to all the women who held our hair back in bathrooms, played therapist at 3am, and knew when to blast Kylie at full volume.
And speaking of tributes: this show gives Ayuso space to show off everything we didn’t get enough of in Elite—his voice, his comedic timing, and his hard-earned arms. He’s cheeky, charming, and just self-deprecating enough to make you want to sing along and slide into his DMs.
Casting was no easy feat, either. “With a musical, you always ask: do we cast singers who can act or actors who can sing? Of course, in the end, everyone needs to be adept at both,” Ferreiro told Variety. “More than just talent, we wanted actors who embodied the essence of their characters.”
Ayuso didn’t just embody Luis. He became him. Hairy, handsome, and a little tragic. Isn’t that what being queer in your twenties is all about?
So, is the world ready for three queer Omars? The answer is obvious.
We’re already writing the fanfiction.
Want to see Omar Ayuso as a crooning cat in the rain? Of course you do.