Clarita García Believes "in Love as the Only Way, to help Others"

Just like us and more than half of Cuba: from the first poem (those transgressive verses by Guillén, if I remember well) we loved the series that put us face to face with so much truth and we immediately connected with teacher Amalia.

That's why, at first, we were very excited to invite her to CubaSi, but then we discovered that the actress is as charming as the character she embodies. In fact, after talking for a few minutes, I’d dare say that Amalia would not be the same in another skin.

—What made you fall in love with Calendar?

—Everything, actually. Since I read chapter 1 I completely fell in love. It's not every day that such a beautiful character comes your way; furthermore, written so well by Amilcar Salatti, and a product that also came wonderfully directed by Magda González and the great production team we got together. We are a huge family. I think all of that made the series beautiful.

«But there was one thing: that on the casting day Magda spoke a little about the character of Orestes, and I, at my high school, had an anecdote with a boy who looked like Orestes. This was like a drive, an intuition that... "you have to do the casting, you have to do this character", because this really united me a lot.

«Being away from my family for so long, filming full time, made me, Clarita, and the actors have a lot of chemistry, we were very connected, and in a certain way that is what the public is watching. I think that Amalia is not the protagonist of Calendar, that is, it’s the group itself, because there’s no Amalia without classroom 9^th grade 3 and there is no 9^th grade 3 without Amalia. Everything merges and that’s very important.

—How much did you find in the character of Amalia of what you are?

—I think there are many common grounds and that’s very nice, I’m not ashamed to say so, because Amalia is a beautiful character who doesn’t come into your hands every day. We actors are always with this thing of "oh, I want to be different, to show my talents...", but life is going to take care of putting it in your way.

«As I was saying, we have many points in common. Amalia is a being of light, full of kindness, full of love, in addition to the fact that she has a hard past, where she was almost about to go through juvie and that accompanies her, makes her feel self-aware, makes her feel belittled, be in crisis all the time, and I don't agree with her on that, but I do agree on the fact of believing in love as the only way, of helping the other, of encouraging him, of having kindness for the well-being of all...»

—Do you think this character and the series as a whole are a necessary message at this moment in Cuba?

—Of course I do, and I stress it emphatically because of the people on the street. One works for the artists, for people who know about art, but mostly you work for the people who see you walking down the streets or in the bus and hug you and tell you: «I have you in my house, you are already part of my family; what a beautiful Calendar, how necessary, we record it, we watch it...». That gives you a hint of how much we need a work full of sensitivity, a work that touches the human fiber, that makes us be more connected in love and spirit.

—Any anecdote you can tell us about those encounters with people, about that feedback?

“Very nice things have happened to me, really. I’m very grateful to the people. The first thing that happened to me was the first chapter coming out. I was waiting for a bus and a group of students passed by and one of them lowered his face mask and said: "Is that you?" I lowered my facemask and he started: “oh, teacher Amalia”, but almost with tears in his eyes, and he asked me: “so, what happens next? Tell me tell me...". I had to tell him: look, we have to wait a little... In the end, I told him a little bit about it, but it was very nice, very nice.

—They are already working on season two of Calendar. What can you tell us about this new delivery?

—We are already working, Amilcar is writing and the chapters are arriving. It’s the same Amalia, like that Quixote —so to speak—, carrying what’s hers, but also carrying her past students, her father, with the new students who join..., because it’s no longer going to be ninth grade, but high school. New students are coming, others will no longer be. It's going to be wonderful and I think we're going to find an Amalia who has grown a little and she has to grow because of the responsibility bestowed in her.

—I imagine we are going to find new conflicts.

—Yes, yes, new conflicts, there’s even something very good: the life of students with their parents is going to take a center stage, more importance; everything is more embroidered between Amalia, the students, the parents... I don't know how Amilcar is doing it, but he is doing it incredibly well. Without losing the essence of school, he is heading towards what happens at home.

—"And love affairs?" What about Amalia’s love.

—Well, let's see... this season Carlos has a family, he has a son, that weighs a lot and he is a good man. I’m already giving you something... And in the second, someone may appear, God knows... Magda is very focused on Amalia's love life, because there’s like a shadow there that follows her, not around her, but in herself; then, well... that she gives herself the opportunity to love and be loved.

—Although for all of Cuba you are going to be Amalia for a long time, there’s another topic I can’t help but ask you. What does theater mean to Clarita García?

—The theater is…theater. That is the house, it’s the temple, the refuge; from there we come, from there everything is born, art is born there. It's something magical, a live event, that you have to put a different energy there so that the last spectator understands you, feels you... I don't know, it's something miraculous I always want to have with me. Arriving at Trianon theater is like entering home.

In fact, together with Calendar, her immediate project is to return to the stage with the El Público group, by Carlos Díaz. Meanwhile, she puts all her heart and talent into Amalia, the teacher who keeps us thinking and dreaming every Sunday.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff