Yaité Ruíz: "María Luisa Taught me to Look at Everything from Love"

She came to the soap opera "El derecho de soñar" through a casting where she and a few couples underwent approximately three screening tests: Ray Cruz and Clarita Garcia, Yaité Ruíz and Frank Andrés Mora. The result, we enjoy every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday night, when María Luisa and Pascual gives us endearing lessons about affection.

With Yaité, a talented actress who shifts from the stage to television like a fish in water, we talked about her interpretation of "Muñeca".

How did you prepare to take on such a complex character?

"Since the casting, we had to bring a physical and psychological proposal of the characters, then I visited a girl with a moderate intellectual disability, which was the characteristic of María Luisa and I took some physical traits she has, plus a bit of my children tantrum, when playing and also some motion characteristics of Yanelis, a classmate we had at ISA. Then, once I got the role, I delved into the psychological part with the help from Dr. Vera, a very important neurologist in our country, who gave us
more specs on this level of disability, the characteristics they could have, then, let's say that María Luisa was already polished more psychologically and physically, with the help of this doctor".

Who is María Luisa, according to Yaité? How would you present her?

"María Luisa is a person with a moderate to severe intellectual disability, who has managed to become independent with help, education and the encouragement of her mother, therefore, she can perfectly live alone with her partner, of course, with her mother´s supervision, who lives nearby. María Luisa is a person who taught me to look at everything from love, everything and everyone; she taught me to return to my naivety as a girl, because although she is not a girl, she always sees the good in people, her basic and superficial thinking is an advantage, in the sense that she doesn't see evil in people or situations.

"María Luisa also taught me to live in the present, not so much having an objective or a future goal. She lives the day a hundred percent in her present, from love. María Luisa is someone who, because of her disability is rejected, and underestimated by society and, both she and her husband Pascual, show that these people have a space in society and they deserve full inclusion. I always use the word inclusion because it´s best known to our public, but I say it with all the letters in the sense that we have to think of these people also as part of our society, with all its rights and, although some have a severe or profound degree of disability and are more limited, say professionally, we do have to think about how we can serve them so that their life has a greater meaning in pursuit of their emotional and spiritual growth".

When you see the result on the screen, do you feel satisfied?

"Generally, I tend to be very demanding with my result on screen, there are some scenes in which I still didn't have a good grip on the character and I´m not very satisfied, but in a general sense, I think the idea is clear and I'm happy. I am also happy with the reaction of the public and with the message I´m sending about these people with disability and their right to live together like everyone. In a general sense, I'm happy".

There is a beautiful relationship between Pipo and Muñeca. How did that chemistry among actors work?

"When we showed up at the casting, we knew each other, but we hadn't worked professionally and it was step by step, in the screenings, talking about the characters, that we manage to establish this type of relationship, but the chemistry between Frank and I was always there. Frank, in addition to being an excellent  professional is a very gentle actor, in the sense that he always establishes eye contact, he listens to the other person, hence the first time we had to present the characters, each rehearsed at different locations, and later just went on acting with the characters. I was worried because I didn't know him, in an improvisation and the casting it's complicated to establish that relationship with people who don´t know each other professionally, so, in order not to get out of character, I looked him in the eye and said: "Me with you and you with me", since the casting, it was something Yaité wanted to tell Frank, but I told him from María Luisa and it was precisely that, which kept us connected, communicated.

"It turns out that the phrase stuck with the characters in the end and it´s viral now, right now people identify us with that phrase. As for me, once this chemistry was born, it was very easy for the work to flow.

Like everything, we had some different ideas, but I think we knew how to get along in this relationship and make it credible, that is, people can´t perceive a character without the other and that, indeed fills me with satisfaction."

What has this character left you as an actress and as a human being?

"This character has left me a message of joy, of life, of professional growth and, furthermore, she has left me a project that I intend to carry out towards the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities, which is a social task, not because I do it, but because as an actor you always have to leave a message with the public."

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff