Matilde León, the actress who has been part of 'Al Fondo Hay Sitio' and 'Papá en Apuros', met with two great friends (Stefano Tosso and Esteban Recagno) to launch the play 'La Tierra', written by Agustín Banchero and directed by Igor Olsen. In a recent interview with La República, the young artist was excited about the staging that opens this Tuesday, April 9, at 8.30 pm, at the Teatro de Lucía (Calle Bellavista 512, Miraflores) and goes until the May 8. Tickets are on sale at Joinnus.
“The three of us wanted to do a play, being friends and also being professionals. We wanted to work together on a project that motivates us. It happens that, sometimes, they call you to do projects, but they are not characters that you dream of doing or you don't get to play with your friends,” said the popular Luna Seminario from 'Dad in trouble'.
Matilde León, 23, was also encouraged to talk about her performances in the series 'Al Fondo Hay Sitio' and 'Papá en Apuros'. Additionally, the young actress addressed her plans to direct her first film and she told how she has felt questioned by her age.
—How did the 'Earth' come into your life?
—In fact, I was one of those who chose to do this work. Together with Stefano and Esteban, who are my friends in real life, we began to look for works that captivate us and that we want to tell. I really liked the play, I presented it to the kids and Igor, who is the director, liked it too. He captured us, it is one of these works that, the more you read them, the more you understand them and the more you like them. We are doing a new work that has not even been released in your country.
—What does theater give you that television doesn't?
—Theatre is the adventure of building the same story that you repeat and repeat the scenes. You build it with your team, you perfect it and you realize how it turns out. Finally, it is a very collaborative effort and one has to have a lot of camaraderie. That's nice because you're growing as an actor.
—Has everything you have achieved at 23 years old been based on pure effort?
—During all these years, I have worked very hard. I have been behind many people asking questions, doing theater, being in so many workshops and I believe that my effort has borne the fruits it deserved for everything I have been doing.
—Don't you think luck has been on your side?
—Luck doesn't exist. If someone experiences something it is because they had to experience it. I am very Catholic and I believe that God is the person who is involved in everyone's life. I'm not one of those people who believes in coincidences. If something happens, it is because it had to happen, both in good situations and in tragic situations. Yes, I am a 100% believer in effort.
Matilde León graduated from the University of Lima. Photo: Instagram/Matilde León
—Do you feel prepared to face any challenge in acting?
-Yeah. Maybe life is a long journey and one does not achieve something overnight. Although you have been studying a lot and doing many things, in the end life itself will teach you that.
Matilde León and her time in 'At the bottom there is room'
—Now that 'At the bottom there is room' returns to TV, do you think your character could have the opportunity to return?
—I don't know, I would love Catalina to come back. I had a lot of fun playing that character, she had a great time. 'There is room at the back' is also a very nice place to work.
—What do you know about the new season of 'At the bottom there is room'?
—The truth is that I have not been attentive to the new changes. I feel like history has changed a lot. I don't know what will happen to Alessia's character, I just know that she had a tragic accident. But I think it's good to have your best friend around (laughs). Returning is not up to me, but I would be happy.
—You said that you had auditioned to be Alessia Montalván, how did you take that 'no'?
—I have had many 'no's. That's the side that people don't know. From the outside, one sees a girl who, at 23 years old, has already been in important productions, who has done well. The truth is that I have been in this professionally since I was 14, when I recorded 'Two Kisses' with Francisco Lombardi. For seven years, I didn't have any projects, even though she put all her effort into it. She did castings, held workshops, talked to people in the industry and nothing. At 17 years old, I started studying theater and communications. I made many university short films, non-professional works within the workshops and I was an extra in many films. I did all this with great enthusiasm and also to have contacts. From those experiences, I learned to be persistent and keep fighting. Only in 2021, I had my first opportunity with 'At the bottom there is room'. And now, having finished 'Dad in Trouble', I don't know what else is going to happen. I only know that I will continue fighting.
Matilde León happy to be part of 'Dad in trouble'
—How was your experience in 'Dad in Trouble'?
—In this project, I learned a lot, I have grown as a person and as a professional. It was the first stable job I have had. I have been in other series before, but they were more temporary and smaller issues. My role in 'Dad in Trouble' has been the most important I have had on television. It's different that you record two scenes in a week and that they only call you the next week, than that you are as if it were an office job, getting up early every day and having a routine. Many times, we had very long days, but I was acquiring professional tools.
—What is the most beautiful thing about having been part of 'Dad in Trouble'?
—In 'Dad in Trouble', I was lucky to be with a very nice group and that, many times, does not happen. This world is not rosy either, you will not always be surrounded by a group of good, honest people who will support you a lot. There are many known clashes between actors and artists who work together. I have been very lucky because we have been able to generate a beautiful friendship. And since 'Dad in Trouble' was a new production from a TV channel that had not produced fiction for years, we all wanted to move the project forward. Since Latina did not make productions, there was a great possibility that the series would not work and, obviously, one does not want that for one's job. Since we all put on the shirt, that brought us together more.
—Do you think that, thanks to the reception of 'Papá en apuros', Latina opted for a new production like 'Pituca sin lucas'?
Yes, totally.
—Both productions are adaptations, would you like Latina to bet more on original productions?
—It seems smart to release series that have already worked. Something that I liked about Latina's production is that the entire script was already written, many times you don't work like that. There are productions that are developing the script at the moment
. In our case, the story was already known and that helps to better build its characters. I liked that things had already been done in advance and it seemed like a smart strategy because, if you're going to take risks, it's okay to go for something that worked at some point, but I'm not going to lie that I would also like Latina to bet on new histories. In both cases, it seems to me that it works well, as long as we continue telling stories, to continue making fiction and that they don't stop making novels here, because we have to continue telling stories.
—What did you think of working with the Chilean producers, who made 'Dadrift'?
—I felt very grateful because it was an opportunity that not everyone will have. I felt very happy because it was not only about appearing in a soap opera from your country on a big channel, but it was also the possibility of working with professionals from abroad, who give you another vision, make you know their customs. They were very calm and confident because they had already been in charge of a very great success for a long time. They came to give us a lot of love and a lot of peace. They were very organized, they did things very correctly. They had a very efficient, very interesting work system.
—Were you guided by the original Chilean character to bring 'Luna Seminario' to life?
-Not much. I saw references, I tried to watch the series a little ('Dadrift Dad') because it made me curious. Maybe I knew that the series had been made in another context and it seemed important to me that I could give my character a more Lima, more personal touch. At some point, I saw something of the other character and I suppose that I could have naturally acquired some things, but my premise was always to work and build my own character. I was mixing things: what I could think of and what the directors asked me for, which was a little different from what had been done before.
Matilde León and her great dream of directing films
—You said that you were already prepared to direct a film, what progress have you made?
—I have a script and this year I want to apply for it to different funds. I already have a producer and I have advanced the project. The sooner I can get my production out, the better. I have many stories to tell, where I want to participate. Being young and being the age I am now. I know that this is a long-term path, but, over time, I have been preparing many things. For example, the script I want to present, I started writing three years ago or so. Obviously I've had breaks because I've been working on other productions.
—Isn't directing a film at your age a very ambitious goal?
—I consider myself a person who has the need to speak, to transmit and I have every desire to assume the responsibility that that entails. The good thing is that I am aware and I have been preparing for it for a long time. Not only studying, but also watching a lot of cinema, talking to a lot of people and surrounding myself with all the art possible to immerse myself in it and be able to exploit it when my opportunity comes.
—That opportunity could take many years.
—I would hope not. To make a movie, you have to have a lot of money and. Although I have been saving, the funds depend on other people, on sponsorships. For me, I would do it tomorrow if I had all the tools with me. It's not that simple, but you have to keep going, always persevering.
—Do you feel that you have been discriminated against for being a woman or for being young?
—I think more for being young than for being a woman. Many people question my age. Thank God, I have not felt that I have been discriminated against because of my gender, but I do observe that men have more opportunities, more jobs and, in cinema, more characters are written for men than for women.
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