That\u2019s what I call passion, blind faith in yourself and in an ideal. As [Jos\u00e9] Mart\u00ed said, \u201cThe angry sea gives a weak idea of the waves provoked by passion.\u201d It is that whirlwind that springs from within us; the least we can do is unleash it. It is that sensation of freedom, which becomes serene with the years, to which Miravalles refers when he says \u201cMy great happiness has been to devote myself to what most satisfies me: being an actor.\u201d<\/p>\n
I think that explains his frequent smiles, and those bursts of laughter that have been captured quite a few times in the history of Cuban cinema, and which today continue to make him endearing.<\/p>\n
After 20 years without filming in Cuba, Miravalles received a script by Eduardo Eimil from director Gerardo Chijona. It is based on and named after a novel by Eliseo Alberto (Lichi) Diego, called Esther en alguna parte (Esther Somewhere).<\/p>\n
\u201cIn all of these years, I have received proposals for work, but none stimulated me like the script for Esther en alguna parte,\u201d Miravalles says. \u201cAt first I thought it was very long, and we decided to develop a second version. That one didn\u2019t convince me either, until I received a third one, which I found to be excellent. I knew Chijona and his work, and he presented me with a plot that satisfied me very much: artistic, not commercial, that\u2019s why I accepted it. I feel very lucky to have done so.\u201d<\/p>\n
How did you create Lino Catal\u00e1?<\/p>\n
\u201cLino Catal\u00e1 is completely different: he is sad, has a difficult conflict in the story, and uses gestures and impressions a lot. I had to focus on facial expressions, which is not very common in Cuban cinema, but I think I was successful. I am not the best, nor do I aspire to be, but I do consider myself to be a professional. I started working in 1944 and I\u2019m still going. I have made more than 40 films, and not just in Cuba; also in Mexico, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Colombia, and Germany. That\u2019s 70 years of experience, during why I have only played parts that I thought would contribute something to me. That is my life. And I am proud that some of my films are now part of Cuban cinema.\u201d<\/p>\n
What was your experience working with your friends in Cuba again?<\/p>\n
\u201cFriendship and love. I have a wealth of friends here. We have mutual respect and love for each other. I think that Chijona is proud of having made this movie, which for me is \u2018equilibrating\u2019; I don’t know how I came up with that word, but that\u2019s what it is. It is a strange film, but that is its attraction, and it looks like it\u2019s going to go a long way.”<\/p>\n
Three quotes from Che\u00edto Le\u00f3n, in the film El hombre de Maisinic\u00fa, are among the 10 most memorable in Cuban cinema, and \u201cAlberto Delgado, car\u00e1\u2026\u201d is one of them. Without question, you have left an indelible mark on our filmmaking and public. What was your reencounter like with the Cuban public, which so appreciates you?<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, over my career I have been applauded for up to 15 minutes. And it was the result of my work and effort, because one thing I\u2019m not is pretty,\u201d he says with a smile. \u201cI think that the film has been well-received. Many people in the street don\u2019t recognize me right away, but they do say, \u2018Hey, he looks like Miravalles.\u2019 I feel like the Cuban people love me very much. When I returned to Havana for the first time, I went to see a children\u2019s show at the Karl Marx theater. When I came out, I was surrounded by a sea of people. Man!!! I became so emotional that I started crying. The thing is, I was born on Callej\u00f3n de Chorro. I\u2019m from Havana!! And I come to Cuba because people have a lot of affection for me here.\u201d<\/p>\n
How did you remake your career in the United States?<\/p>\n
\u201cI have only made two films, one of them with Rolando D\u00edaz: Cercan\u00eda (\u201cNearness,\u201d 2008), about emigration; it\u2019s a comedy. But I\u2019ve had various secondary roles in Latin American productions. And there\u2019s another project in the works with Chijona. We\u2019ll see what happens. Because I\u2019m 90 already, you know,\u201d he says with a smile. \u201cIn general, I try to do what I know, and that makes me satisfied. I\u2019m happy; I live peacefully with my wife in an apartment in Miami. I\u2019m not the one who starts or determines anything. Life takes you down complicated paths, and what I\u2019ve done is try to find a balance.\u201d<\/p>\n
And how do you carry Cuba in your heart?<\/p>\n
\u201cCuba is my homeland.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
That\u2019s what I call passion, blind faith in yourself and in an ideal. As [Jos\u00e9] Mart\u00ed said, \u201cThe angry sea gives a weak idea of the waves provoked by passion.\u201d It is that whirlwind that springs from within us; the least we can do is unleash it. It is that sensation of freedom, which becomes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":525,"featured_media":7551,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,52],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[33561],"class_list":["post-7560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-magazine-articles","category-silhouettes"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n