“At the bottom there is room” has seen characters and actors come and go for 13 years. But if there is one that still holds up, that is Don Gilberto, who is played by the well-remembered Gustavo Bueno. That man, who in 1985 played the implacable lieutenant Gamboa in “The City and the Dogs”, is today the patriarch of the Gonzales family in the famous América TV series. But what is behind that nice grandfather in the black hat and white shirt buttoned up to the neck?
The Republic was able to talk exclusively with Bueno in an interview where he revealed a little more about the origin of his beloved character and everything that has entailed recording a new season with a generation of young actors.
A loving grandfather in command
More than 10 years playing the same character do not go without glory. Bueno confesses that it is very pleasant for him “to make this old man so animated by life that he loves the agent that surrounds him so much and that he considers them all his children, his grandchildren, his nephews and he loves them.”
In previous seasons, Doña Nelly (Irma Maury) was always a little ahead of Gilberto, but after his death in the series, it is now the grandfather who leads the family.
“Now he is alone. So, that has allowed me to free myself as a character, I am not dependent on anyone. In the story he is like a patriarch in the family, with all his problems and his defects and I love that. I think this is the best season i ever had”says the 71-year-old actor.
Likewise, Gustavo believes that this is his happiest moment in the series and he is more than delighted with his character. “I can’t deny it, I love playing Gilberto”admits.
Don Gilberto, a European apurimeño
But where did this finely dressed gentleman come from? Well, he confesses that it all started when Pancho Lombardi called him to play “a loncco (peasant) from Arequipa”.
“I even went to Arequipa, I recorded the way of talking about them and I tried to transfer that to the character I played in the theater. But that stuck in my head a lot,” she recalls.
But if there was something peculiar about those Arequipeños, it is that they were “of Spanish heritage that he had already completely assimilated into Peruvian culture and worked in the fields”, which is why they had “a peculiar way of speaking”. Hence the characteristic accent of Don Gil.
“I told them: ‘Look, the idea I have is that the guy always dresses alike and that he has his suit that he doesn’t part with, his shirt always buttoned and his little hat,’” he recalls.
That seems to me to be the example of a citizen from there and I have several friends like that, even from Japanese and Italian descentwho have lived like this, have spoken Quechua and know perfectly the region where they are from”, he stresses.
Criticism and a new generation
It is easy to read criticism of “There is a site at the bottom” on social networks, but that does not seem to affect Bueno, since he believes that there is great acceptance by the public. “I have been told that the bulk of the networks will be 85% compared to 15% who complain for some reason. 85% enjoy and live from the series, it is part of their life now, ”he highlights.
“And being part of the life of a country is something that implies a great responsibility, like when they say to Spider-Man: ‘With all power comes great responsibility’”, adds the actor.
And all that weight also falls on the new generation of actors that joined this season, with whom Gustavo is more than comfortable.
“I am happier than ever and I think that this is a feeling that if you ask any actor today who was there before, regarding our new family, they will tell you that we have had wonderful luck”, he emphasizes.
The fate of Don Gilberto
Regarding Don Gilberto’s possible Alzheimer’s, Gustavo Bueno also clarified that it is rather a not so serious encephalopathy. “A lot of junk, then!” joked the actor.
What will happen to him later? There is still no concrete answer, but the veteran of cinema and theater assures that there is no danger regarding the memory of ‘Don Gil’ and that there is still time to be reunited with his ‘Palomita’.
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