Luis Velasco, better known as Lucho Velasco, he is considered a passionate actor who, since he was a child, awoke an invaluable love for this art. His first important role was in the series Love letters, but the most remembered character was built in the queen of flow where his Manín character terrified some and hooked others.
Mabel Moreno prefers her coffee with the aroma of… Colombia; the actress from Barranquilla is visiting Guayaquil as a guest of the Guayafest
“He is a character that has marked my career worldwide (…) he is an iconic character, I think he has entered an important list of the antagonist in our Latin American region”, the actor himself affirms in an interview with this newspaper, and at the same time he admits that it was a character who sent him to the psychologist because of how demanding it was on his life.
The actor is in Ecuador concluding some film projects, within the framework of the guayafestwith the premise of putting the Pearl of the Pacific in the sights of the industry. “From now on I consider myself an ambassador of Guayaquil to the world, to be able to bring productions here.”
What elements does Luis Velasco use when building a character?
As an actor I think that the characters do not have to be acted out, the characters have to be them and you have to live them, as if they were real characters. I am an actor who is too passionate about what I do, too intuitive and I get so immersed in them that I lose my personality.
There are actors who don’t even get rid of their characters once they’ve finished filming…
I am going to explain why, when you have been living for a year with a person who is not you, someone who lives inside you, it is like having an alter ego. For actors it is very important to never let go of the character, but to live with it, befriend it and let it out when it needs to be out and hide it when it needs to be hidden; I make sure that he never leaves, that he lives with me 24/7.
And in your case, what was it like living 24/7 with Manín?
The madness! I believe that those who feel and live these characters the most are the people around you, my family, my daughters, my friends. Somehow they call me crazy or that the character possessed me, but I am the character, I can’t let it escape because I lose every minute that leaves me, I lose the intention of the character. So it’s Manín living real life. It’s been a couple of years, but sometimes there are things about that character that come out to me
And what usually shines from Manín?
They are secrets (laughs).
What about mental health when figures like these are personified?
This is the most critical, mental health begins to falter a bit. Sometimes I don’t know if the dreams I have, or my memories, are mine or my characters’. That’s how crazy it can be, there are things that I don’t know if I lived them or my character lived them.
Although Manín is a fictional character, he is not far from real life, how can a figure like this contribute to a society marked by violence?
These characters are so important to show people a great mirror and to understand a little what should not happen in a society. I cannot judge my characters, and I cannot judge a character like Manín, but in some way it is a reference for people to realize how those types of people act and the evil that intuits them and that is the key to everything. It’s in education. If these characters had had another education, they would not be what they are, and it is a serious problem that concerns us in Ecuador, Colombia, which has been permeated by drug trafficking.
Do you think that in some way cinema has the purpose of educating?
The function of cinema is not to educate, it is to entertain, which may suddenly have, subliminally, some kind of message, it is.
How did you start in the world of acting?
I was a child and my father put the story of Little Red Riding Hood, and we started acting it out at home. And from there the cinema was always fantastic, I went to the radio theater, to watch radio soap operas and that began to make me dream and when I had the opportunity to start studying theater and get to know this magical world, I immersed myself in it and it has been my Entire life.
What projects are you currently working on?
I am making a film in the Canary Islands, in Spain, together with Italy. We have a common project between Ecuador, Italy and Colombia; a movie.
Also, I’m acting in a new series that will air soon for some platform.
What do you know about the film scene in Ecuador?
Really not much… I know that it is a nascent industry, it has great talents, many talents, great actors, I have had contact with some of them and I know that from now on it depends on the universities, it depends on the support for this industry, that is emerging, becomes really very important, and the law (of Ecuadorian cinema) is everything.
How do you balance acting with production?
They go hand in hand, I like none more than another, they complement each other. The vision that an actor has in a set when he goes behind the scenes to direct, it is very wide. It is a great tool to be an actor to be able to direct and produce. Not everyone does it, it’s getting into a shirt of eleven rods, because I also act in my own productions.
About the Guayafest
The meeting will take place until Sunday, November 13. Access to film shows, forums and conversations is free, under registration through the hablandodecine.com page or by clicking here. To review the full festival agenda, you can do so on social networks (Guayafest, Instagram). (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
