Who better to defend this controversial character from Sábados de gloria? Xavier Chao, the young and talented actor who incarnated Mayito, told us about his participation in the Cuban soap opera currently broadcast by Cubavisión.

—How did you get to Sábados de gloria?

—Tamara called me through Alfredo Felipe, to offer me the role of Mayito. She talked me through more or less what it was about. I think the first 40 chapters had been written, if I remember correctly. I liked what he told me at the beginning and I said yes.

—What challenges did the character of Mayito pose for you?

—I never thought I would go through this in my life, I think people should not go through something like this. I was barely able to go to rehearsals, I think I only went to one and during most of the recording, I had a delicate health situation with my family, I was admitted to intensive care the whole time, that is, as a caregiver. It helped me a lot that the production put off the calls because I couldn't go. Afterwards I would go out, go to the set practically without sleeping, you know what hospitals are like, what it's like to take care of a person, and then I wasn't lucky enough to win that battle and it was about getting up - the little that was left of the soap opera - getting up every day and fighting against the pain, against the sadness that comes from the loss of a loved one, and having to get like that, to be another person, smile and act as if nothing had happened. In other words, getting over what I was feeling, what I was thinking and the mood I was in. Getting over my reality, plus all the exhaustion in my body from everything that had happened. It was really exhausting for me and very sad too, but no, it's my job and it's what I had to do.

—I have heard many opinions about Mayito and his relationship with Omara. What do you say? Is the man sincere?

—Everyone has their opinion, it depends on the things they have experienced in life, but of course Mayito is sincere, in his own way, but he is sincere and, in his own way, he loves Omara, but we cannot ask a person to show affection, love or affection in a way that is not theirs. And yes, yes, yes, of course, he is sincere. I think that Mayito is one of the most sincere characters there can be. He acts according to how he thinks all the time. He is not at all two-faced, nor hypocritical, much less does he appear to be what he is not. If he doesn't like something, he says it; if something doesn't sit well with him, he shows it. If he can feel for someone or let his guard down, up to this point, that is Omara, and I think that has been visible, because if you compare Mayito's relationship with the other characters, you realize that he is more of a little boy with Omara than anything else. People are free to believe what they want, but he is sincere, not only sincere with Omara, but with everything that surrounds them.

—What feedback have you received from the public?

—The feedback from the public, quite good. Honestly, from the first scene, which is the character presentation, I feel that what they say to you on the street, what they write to you on your social networks, what they put in certain Facebook groups of the soap opera, has been very good and favorable, and I don't follow them much, because there are good people there who write smart, accurate things, but there are many people who, in order to get likes, what they do is criticize the artist, degrade him, but they have even sent me photos and opinions from there that are very good. On that part, I am very happy.

—What has it meant for you to return to the highest-rated dramatization in Cuba after working abroad for a while?

—I'll be honest: when I finished a soap opera that was Beyond the Limit, I said that it was going to be the last one, that I wasn't going to work anymore; then I left the country, even when I came back, which was more for personal reasons, that is, for my family and that kind of situation, I was already focused on other things in my career. It’s no secret to anyone the hardships to go through here to shoot, to make a soap opera or anything else, and it’s worthy of admiration the people who do it, about the technical team, the effort they put into it with all the difficulties and the salary they get, that is no secret to anyone, so I was already focused on other things, but this character came to me and, I don't know, it caught me. They had tried to locate me before for others and for some reason I couldn't, however, to whom I say yes, look in the middle of such a bad situation on a personal level, such sad things happen to me and I have to take it all at the same time, but, in the end, I am happy to do it because there are always people who want to see you and who thank you.

—What projects are you currently working on?

—Yes, I currently have two or three projects, but I don't say that because I am of the opinion that things must be kept quiet until they are done, so that they happen and happen well.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff