‘In California, I was surrounded by the Spanish missions’ architecture, so Spain has always felt familiar to me, like an echo of my childhood’ It’s over ten years since President Barack Obama appointed James Costos, then vice-president of TV network HBO, as US ambassador to Spain.
Back then, when James moved to the country with his partner, internationally acclaimed interior designer Michael Smith, both men already knew their destination well and had friends there.
But during James’s four-year diplomatic tour, which concluded in 2017, they fell in love with Spain. The feeling was mutual, and together the sociable pair gave quite a boost not only to diplomatic relations, but also to the capital’s lively social scene.
The Madrid embassy hosted endless gatherings where entrepreneurs, artists and film-makers mingled, many cultural…
