A FEW QUESTIONS FOR…
TATIANA ASTENGO
She was born in Peru, but she has lived for the last six years in Madrid. The Peruvian actress has come to the festival to promote her film Contracorriente (Undertow).
When did you realize that you wanted to be an actress?
I've known since childhood. My parents fought a lot, and I didn’t want them to scream at each other, so I tried to distract their attention. I danced and sang in front of them; I simply entertained them. And then I told the neighbour’s kids horror stories to the point that I always brought them to tears.
Which of your film roles are you proudest of?
All the characters I’ve played are close to my heart. I’ve had the luck to portray diverse types of characters, but it’s actually Mariela who I've become most attached to.
In director Javier Fuentes-León’s film Undertow, your character Mariela is caught up in a love triangle. Was your portrayal of her at all based in personal experience?
When I was younger, at one point I did date two boys at once. One of them knew about it, the other didn’t. I remember feeling complete, whole. What one lacked, the other provided. One was younger, more fun, and the other was older and more experienced. But of course I was aware that it couldn‘t go on for long that way. My portrayal of Mariela, however, wasn’t based on this experience in any way. She’s a bit cut off from the action. Mariela is unaware of what’s going on, and later she is deeply disturbed by it. I think to understand this character, we have to dispose of our human egoism and realize that nobody belongs to anyone.
Actors have various techniques to prepare for a shoot, to step into their character’s shoes. What techniques do you use?
I let my imagination assist me. I try to imagine the person, the character who I’m supposed to play, from their birth to the moment the film begins. I don’t do what other actors do: watch some films, find the relationships and connections between their character and the other characters. I prefer to watch documentaries, because I want to appear convincing. And so I try to find real people. When I’m in front of the camera, I want to behave like a regular person who doesn’t have to act, as if I wasn’t in front of the camera at all. In short, I live my life and the camera records it.
Are there sufficient work opportunities for actors and actresses in Peru?
Now it’s a bit better than it was before in terms of cinema, but there aren’t many opportunities, even though there have been a few recent Peruvian films that have made successful appearances at film festivals. Unfortunately everything depends on financial resources and on creativity and the desire to tell stories. Even though I’ve lived in Madrid for the past six years.
Michal Liba