Without a doubt, this 2022 is the year of Galician actress María Vázquez: stars in the last and great chapter of “Apagón’, by Movistar+; has a character in the series “Santo”; and is also the protagonist of the films “Matria” and “Little loves” that will soon be seen on the big screen.
–Your character in “Blackout” we see in the first chapter and then go on to star in the fifth and last.
–Yes, she is a stressed woman who doesn’t like her life very much, although she doesn’t think much about it. Suddenly, the blackout occurs. Her husband is in charge of managing emergencies in Spain. He warns her of what is happening and she leaves for a country house on a farm on the outskirts of Madrid from which she left 20 years ago because she wanted to flee from there. She has to start living in that space, finding a surprise to live with the past and the present, realizing that she begins to like the country life from which she fled. The blackout becomes an opportunity for her.
–In that chapter, there is a special scene. His character is talking to various immigrants. The producer and screenwriter from Vigo, Fran Araújo, told me that everything is based on real testimonies and that it was an improvisation.
-The shooting of that scene was very cool. The director of the chapter, Isaki Lacuesta, really likes to improvise with ten or 17-minute songs to end up putting together a minute in which he takes out gold. He likes to be on the set giving notes but without stopping the recording. It was written to have a conversation but the stories that were told were not detailed. I got to shoot and although I knew some things, I didn’t know many. They began to tell their real stories (of immigration) and it was impressive, very beautiful. For me, as for the character, it was a before and after.
-With your character, Alicia, do you agree with the desertion of the field or the desire to return to it?
-I lived in Madrid and returned to Galicia because I believe that the countryside gives you another vision of the world and because deep down it is the future. This is a time when we are dehumanizing ourselves in cities. I believe that the field puts you in touch with reality, makes you aware of what is around you and can give you back many things.
–There is a moment when you milk a cow, did you really know how to do it or did you learn for the role?
-I knew a little because when I was little I used to do it with my grandparents, but I hadn’t milked for years. When Isaki told me, I went to my mother’s cousin’s house and sent him a video of me milking. I wasn’t getting as much milk as I should have, but my cousin told me that for being a hungry cosmopolitan I was pretty good.
Did you learn any lesson from this job?
-You always learn something in every job. In this one, I am left with the final hopeful message that if we cooperate with each other, life could be different and much better. It seems utopian but I trust that such a world is better.
–Are you now afraid of a big blackout?
–Not now, but when we started the process, yes. When I got back from the first week of rehearsals, I went to my village to visit my parents and suddenly the power went out. It was gone all over the place and I started to get scared, but it was back in five minutes. It is something that can happen but it is difficult. I think you have to live and not think about those things if you are not paralyzed by fear. But I have plenty of candles at home just in case.
Are you obsessed with your characters?
–On the one hand, I play hard, although sometimes there are things that remain and then you have to clean up to continue and not be unbalanced.
–You recently presented “O corpo aberto” by Ángeles Huerta at the OUFF festival in Ourense.
-My character is a bit of a surprise, I can’t say much if it doesn’t reveal the whole film. The film speaks of the limits between life and death, masculine and feminine. It is based on a story by Méndez Ferrín. It has a lot of mystery, it could be a gothic terror.
-Are you looking forward to the premiere of Álvaro Gago’s film “Matria”?
–Very many. It was a very strong process with a great immersion of three months. For the film, I had to speak a Galician from the Rías Baixas, from the Vilanova de Arousa area. For me, it was a challenge. I worked with professional actors but also with people from the canning factory where it was filmed and who already appeared in Álvaro’s short film. They made pineapple with me, so much so that they even want me to go to work at the canning factory. In fact, we try to meet once a month. It was a complete learning. There was a total sorority. One day I had a very difficult scene and they all came as a surprise to support me. The experience was so beautiful that it scares me. It scares me to watch the movie and see that I didn’t do so well.
–You are also in “Little loves”, what can you tell me about this project?
–It is a Catalan co-production by Celia Rica with a very intimate film with a mother and a daughter. In the end they are two women with similar problems.
–I do not forget the series “Santo”.
Yes, I am in all the chapters. I play the ex-wife of Raúl Arévalo. I am a scientific police officer and the plot moves between Brazil and Spain. My role is small but very cool.
–And what can you tell me about the second part of “Brothers-in-law”?
I don’t know if I’ll do it again. I still don’t know anything, let’s see what they tell me. They are in the process of writing. Now, the truth is that I have stopped a bit to fill myself with family again.