Louis Brandoni It works as an example of something you can’t explain very well. It could be an example of permanence: close to turning 83, he is actively carrying out his profession and if you make a quick calculation, rebellious Patagoniawhere he was a young Brandoni, was filmed almost half a century ago.
Or an example of an ordinary citizen in the midst of a brutalized and polarized Argentina, where the word “lordship” seems to fit only him. Opinion, debate, coherence, beliefs. That’s not much for one person. They even want to give him a hug.
The excuse is the reply of Lezama Parka work that is on its way to becoming a classic and is celebrating ten years as a manifesto.
-Your name is Luis, right?
-Yes why?
-Why do they call you Beto…
-Ahhh, because my name is Adalberto Luis Brandoni. In those years the Alberto, Norberto, Heriberto were Beto. Those who call me Beto are from Dock Sud, I moved from Dock Sud to Barrio River on my 13th birthday, changed neighborhoods, friends…
-And you started being Luis…
-No.
-How is this validity maintained in a country accustomed to treating its elders badly?
-We see old age as a matter of decadence and in many cases it is not. There are people who are at their peak and enjoy their intellectual, not so much physical, ability to do many things. In my case, life passed me by and I reached this age. We actors are lucky in that, because we can work when we’re young and even when we’re old. There is no retirement age for the actor.
As long as memory gives us and we can exercise our profession with dignity, there is no age. I have enjoyed good health, am well nourished and it is not that I have led an exemplary life, but I have taken care of myself for this profession which I have been practicing for just over 60 years.
Have you ever missed work?
-The actor has no security, he doesn’t have a stable job. The worst period for me was during the dictatorship, when we couldn’t do what we are doing now: we couldn’t report, we couldn’t be mentioned in newspapers, except in reviews, we couldn’t go on the radio, we couldn’t do television …
-Did the prohibition consist in not having the press?
-The intention was for us to leave. They threatened me and I left in ’74, but I came back in ’75. Later the Dictatorship made a black list where there were many people.
-But you worked in Dictatorship…
-I worked privately, nothing to do with the state. We were closed. In this sense I have nothing but gratitude towards the public, because thanks to that I managed to survive.
-What works do you remember from those years?
-Coexistence, with Federico Luppi, at the Regina. It was a big hit, or PS: Your cat is dead. Only the theater, television could not…
-The channels were in the hands of the State…
-Exactly. Movies, neither. Directors, authors, musicians: what we suffered was very serious.
Why did they threaten you?
-Because they thought he was a communist. I actively participated in the Actors Guild.
-You’re back under the same government, before the coup. Were you not afraid?
-Fear paralyzed me, but I lost it and never found it again.
makes a retiree
-The work (“Parque Lezama”) somewhat contradicts your reality: you play a pensioner, but your life goes elsewhere…
-What I have in common with the comedy character is that we both play with fantasy and imagination. The character invents other people, he is a mythomaniac, and I also do it because my job asks me to.
-Please dedicate a paragraph to Eduardo Blanco: his work in this work is exquisite.
-We have, I don’t know exactly, but we are close to a thousand presentations. And if anyone dares to sign us for another two years, I’ll sign it. With Eduardo we didn’t have a single problem, nothing. We were touring the interior, we were in Madrid, he is a first class companion and an excellent actor. Peerless team, and who had never worked with him.
-Why did you decide to be an actor?
-Because I listened to a lot of radio as a boy, I started seeing a lot of Argentinian cinema. I learned by listening to Niní Marshall, Pepe Arias. I listened to them on the radio, plus Argentine cinema fascinated me. The problem then was how to start, and I solved it in my fifth year of high school when I decided to study at the Conservatory: I went from Monday to Saturday for four years. I believe that the Conservatory is now called UNA and has university characteristics…
-Is it easier or more difficult to be an actor now?
-I had the best place in the world to learn to be an actor. Teachers like María Rosa Gallo, many subjects. Today there is UNA (National University of the Arts), and there is EMAD (Metropolitan School of Dramatic Art), which depends on the City of Buenos Aires and has a more solid education than some private schools. The training possibilities are similar to those I had, with the difference that unfortunately some teachers of my time are no longer there.
Not dedicated to teaching?
-I didn’t dare.
-You didn’t dedicate yourself to directing…
I directed two shows. Some things I dare to do. I think I’m in a position, especially when it comes to Argentine theater. It interests me enormously and it is probable that in a few months I will return to direct a show.
-Your job?
No, I’m not an author. neither do I dare. There are people who write better than me. It can probably be replenished Made in Lanús and I will be in the role of director.
-“Parque Lezama” has a lot of text. Can you tell me how you study the script, how you memorize it, how you rehearse…?
-Obviously it gets more complicated as time goes by. As Osvaldo Miranda said: if instead of a script we had studied textbooks, we would already have four or five university degrees with everything we have memorized. Memory is key and I exercised it a lot. Right now I don’t have the ability to do, in four or five rehearsals, a show that lasts an hour and a half on the air. It costs me more.
-Sometimes I was able to see an essay from a work by Alfredo Alcón and Guillermo Francella. Alcón forgot the lyrics and Francella had all the work in mind…
-First of all there was a big age difference between Francella and Alfredo. On the other hand, I am convinced that actresses have better memories than actors.
Can this be verified?
-TV actors helped each other with big posters. I’ve never seen an actress do that.
-Best Argentinian actor?
-Now I will not remember a great actor, his name. What he did his best student… Campanella – calls for help in a loud voice. Juan José Campanella directs the works
-If it’s the best, you should remember…
-Bell….!! Yes, yes, it’s the best, but it’s part of the deterioration I suffer from (laughs). Before, I knew all the names by heart and now… Enrique Muiño! Enrique Muiño, here it is, there it is.
-And the best actor of all time?
-Marcello Mastroianni.
-Which colleague did you learn the most from?
-I? Well, I stole some things from Osvaldo Miranda, some methods, he was an amazing comedian.
-The Miranda group! It’s a tribute to him, you know?
-Really?! Do not tell me?? We were also great friends. I learned, Osvaldo taught me a lot.
Can you explain the Ricardo Darín phenomenon to me?
-Well, he had the luck and the ability to do as an actor what was proposed to him as a challenge. Moreover, the audience accompanies him. If the audience hadn’t accompanied him…
The phenomenon is that he also knew how to choose. The greatest notoriety of him was uploaded in cinema. We made a very successful TV show with him called My brother-in-law. It lasted six years. In addition, they have directed it well, it has unforgettable films and this keeps it valid and in the foreground.
-They are friends?
We are not friends, we are lifelong companions.
Are you interested in the Marvel universe?
– Huh? Marvel, what is Marvel? I don’t speak English and I don’t like technology.
– Netflix?
-I am not interested.
– DVDs, VHS?
-Yes, yes, why not? I have a collection of VHS tapes that I take care of and I have my own video projector. I also use CDs.
-Why are most actors “K”?
It’s not true, it’s not true. It is an invention of K.
What do you think will happen in the next election?
-The country will change, the ruling party will change, and I think we will have a chance to improve the way of life.
-Now that radicalism is stronger, wouldn’t it be interesting to go out and measure your public image?
-I am not interested. I won’t run for anything and I also don’t think anyone is interested in this. What I had to do, I’ve already done.
POS
Source: Clarin
