Young actor Arián González plays the character of Eduardo in the Cuban soap opera Regreso al Corazón and joined the national tour, in which part of the cast accompanied popular musician Waldo Mendoza, who was in charge of the soundtrack for the audiovisual. By the way, he spoke exclusively with CubaSí.

First time in an experience like this?

“Yes, it's my first time doing a national tour, and my first time with such a major character in a soap opera.”

Any anecdotes that have particularly left their mark on you?

“The most impressive anecdote, Santiago de Cuba, which was for me the most beautiful experience during the entire tour. In a plaza in Micro 9, a place in Santiago, where there were more than two thousand people gathered in a plaza to see us, to share, to show affection, to talk to each other, and I never thought it would be like this, especially given the conditions we were in, the blackouts, etc. I never thought there would be so many people watching the soap opera on social media or trying to find it somewhere, at some point. I thought we would go completely unnoticed, that they wouldn't recognize us, and that they wouldn't know about us. And I found the complete opposite. I found a town that knew the biography of Regfreso al Corazon, of Eduardo, and of each of the characters. That, for me, was the most beautiful thing that could have happened during the entire tour.”

And in Camagüey, your hometown, how were you received?

“It was very beautiful. They brought tears to my eyes at the Teatro Principal, because when I left there was an ovation, and that moved me so much. Also, the words from Tony and the tour team toward me and my people, the love they gave me, and the love with which they welcomed us, made us feel very happy.”

What has this exchange with the musicians who composed much of the soap opera's soundtrack meant, this opportunity to share?

“I really think this has been like reliving each scene with each song on stage. I think the soundtrack plays a very important role, because it's from what they give us that emotions reach us all, and from what you hear, you understand what you're seeing, whether it's a love scene, a tragic scene, a scene of suffering, or pain, and the soundtrack largely provides that. First comes the music and the mood it creates, and then you see and visualize the scene. So, this has helped me understand what the creation of a musician is like, and it's very interesting, because there’s music in everything, we are music, we are, completely, all the time, making music. When we speak, we speak rhythmically and arrhythmically, and that is also music. I think connecting with the musicians and understanding their creation goes a long way to understanding my creation and what the total and collective event of the soap opera was.”

We could say that Waldo Mendoza has become part of the cast of Regreso al Corazon…

“Waldo belongs to the soap opera and is the soap opera itself, because we have shared a lot with him and experienced very beautiful things. As a singer, he is impressive, and as a human being, he is something out of this earth, so it hasn't been difficult to connect with him and accompany him; it has truly been a privilege.”

How much of Arian is there in Eduardo and vice versa?

“Eduardo is a character that is completely different from what González is, as an actor, as a person. For Eduardo, I think what I gave Arián is the sensitivity and emotion that Eduardo had in the beginning and maintains despite his attitudes, because he remains an emotional, sentimental person, precisely for that reason, because he listens to the things his father tells him, who in a certain way misses him greatly. He's a complicated character, with a difficult dramatic arc, but really, the only thing I believe is that you have to understand a teenager and their psychology. That's all."

When you watch the telenovela on screen, do you feel satisfied with the work you've done?

"I believe that when you reach a point and a day comes when one feels satisfied with one's work, that's it, there will be no tomorrow. I think that for an actor, that should never exist. There should never be satisfaction with the character. There should be joy for having had the pleasure and privilege of playing a character like that." But I think it should never exist as a top, "I'm happy with what I did," because you always look at yourself and say, "Maybe I should have done this differently," and so on. But really, I'm very happy with the character, with the opportunity, and with the audience's acceptance of Eduardo.

Any anecdotes from the audience directly related to the character of Eduardo?

“It’s really funny because at the beginning of the soap opera, many mothers approached me to tell me about their children’s problems, that they had suffered bullying. I received many beautiful stories that I hope to tell at some point. And now, the turn it’s taken is totally dramatic, and it touches me a lot, in a way, hatred. Recently, the most recent anecdote is that Tony Lugones and I arrived at a cafe and a woman threw herself at him and said, “Oh, I love you, how cute…” Since I have a beard, the woman didn’t recognize me at first, but when she realized it was me, she said, “I hate you so much, I hate you so much, I hope they hit you.” And I was a little scared because she never told me who the character was or that it was me, but it’s nice, in a way, to know that the audience accepts him and believes he’s human, and that’s why they judge him.”

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff