Do you remember Daniel, one of the stones in the path of Dr. Yoan Luis (Gabriel Wood) in the soap opera Tu? He is also the young man who became a better person out of love for Yanara (Yessica Borroto). Well, if you talk to Yasiel Céspedes, he will seem much prettier than his character, even more attractive than in this photo he sent us "just printed", because there’s a huge beauty that cannot be seen, but can be heard, and he is also has that.

—Can you tell us about the soap opera you're working on right now?

—It's called Viceversa, it's a project by Loysis Inclán and Eduardo Eimil. It will have 80 episodes, at the moment it’s on the filming stage.

—And about your character, what can you tell us?

—My character is a speleologist, his name is Hugo, he is a co-star and I think the plot it unravels is very interesting. He is a friend of the protagonist, we are a group that works on this field. Hugo faces conflicts at work and also personal issues that lead him to many situations. I think he is a character I like, especially because he is something different to me and because he allowed me to investigate, learn and do things I’ve never done before.

—What new challenges has it brought you?

—I think the biggest challenge lies in everything we had to learn about this beautiful profession which studies caves, exploring them... You have to learn to climb, it has a very strong work system which includes research.

«We already recorded some of the toughest scenes of my character. We spent a week in Pinar del Río, we were working more than twelve hours inside a cave, we had to take courses with real speleologists and it was a joy to have professionals helping us, to whom I’m very grateful, because they gave everything day and night with us, to take care of our safety, that we did everything right.

«We were recording at 20 meters height. I must confess I’m very afraid of heights, makes me dizzy, I think that this has been one of my greatest professional challenges. I really wondered why I was doing this. There’s a moment when you say: is this worth it, risking your life? Well, the director congratulated us and said that this was what she admired about actors: how you unfolded yourself, put your fears aside and continued to try with such passion and respect to get the job done».

—Do you feel that you have grown as an actor from Daniel to Hugo?

—It’s just that every day one grows more, because I do respect acting. I come from the world of modeling, I started my studies at ISA in a night course, I am in my last year, and I think I’ve grown a lot, especially in terms of believing in what I’m capable of doing, believing a little more in me, having faith in what one can achieve and, above all, in what I’m most passionate about, which is acting.

«For me, performing a character is like getting into the skin of this new person I’m interpreting and living their darkest moments, the happiest, and ensuring that the public can connect with that reality that one is interpreting. I think the more I advance in this career, I try to give my characters more passion, more heart, all the truth in the world, because it’s like offering a tribute to those beings I perform and, above all, so that the public can feel them, because that's what’s all about, transmitting a message in each of your interpretations».

- How much do these characters have in common?

They don't have much in common. Daniel came from being a negative character and due to a personal problem, life led him to a very difficult circumstance with HIV, and you see how this self-righteous, arrogant man falls apart, changes his life for the better and can find the love of his life. Obviously, they are two lives to which you give totally different things.

«Hugo is a character with lights and shadows like everyone else, but he has nothing to do with it. He can be interpreted in a different physical and emotional way, a completely different context, that's the most beautiful thing for me, that he has traits, a personality that has nothing to do with my previous character ».

—From what you have been able to see, what will be the main attractions of the soap opera?

—What I like the most about this soap opera is that there’s a lot of youth, it was decided to look for fresh faces, actors from the new generation together with others from the old school. I think you can't miss it because it has a very good script, we're going to get into conflicts from chapter one, and I know you're going to like it a lot. The scenes that were recorded in the caves were beautiful. A lot of heart and effort was put into making things very, very beautiful.

—In a short time, you have worked in theatre, television, and cinema. Which language do you prefer?

—Daniel, in Tu, was the character that launched me as an actor on television. In the cinema, I had already participated in two films, one of them, the Cuban-Dutch co-production Enamorado de Cuba, which I made together with my great-aunt, Aurora Basnuevo, and other important actors in our country, and the last appearance in cinema was short, but a very nice character, in A Night with the Rolling Stones.

«In theater, I was in The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant, I did Santa Camila de La Habana Vieja. I would like to work a little more, but the theater has its demands, it has its schedules, it has a very strong rigor, and sometimes, for the times we are living in, it becomes difficult. Yes, I’d love, at some point in my life, to do theater again, but I prefer television and cinema ».

—You were telling me that you are studying at ISA on a night course. Do you think school is necessary?

I believe everything is necessary. We must never forget that everything you can cultivate and learn will benefit you and your profession. One looks for school in many ways, I looked for it at ISA, but also on the recording studio when I'm with great actors, who are excellent teachers, my school is there too, that is, you learn at all times.

«I have been lucky, with the opportunity, to find teachers on the set, I keep watching everything they do, absorving, trying to learn from all their experiences, listening to what they have to say to me and I become a sponge to collect everything and use it in my training, to work on my weaknesses and gradually achieve that character actor, that strong actor, who can perform anything. I think it’s a very long road to get there. The most important thing for me is to do a decent job, stick very closely to the truth of the character and that people feel identified with what I’m acting».

—Is that the secret to success?

—The secret is to do everything you think you are capable of doing. I try not to set borders, or limits. Some things will suit me better than others, but I put passion and heart into everything.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff