Carlos Portaluppi imposes its scenic presence in that true ode to friendship called “Druk”adaptation of “Another round”the Oscar winning film directed by Thomas Vinterberg. Portaluppi integrates a formidable acting quartet next to Pablo Echarri, Juan Gil Navarro and Osqui Guzmán. They make up teachers of a secondary school, disenchanted with the profession, family ties and life in general, who cling to alcohol consumption as an unlikely salvation table.
An afternoon that becomes the prelude to a rainy night, an autumnal day in which his beloved River Plate disputes a decisive match for the Copa Libertadores, serves as a referential framework for the meeting of the actor with news.
His days have become more busy since he started with the filming of an audiovisual project that has it very excited, in which he is part of an extraordinary cast next to Cristina Banegas, Julieta Díaz, Monna Antonópulos, Diego Cremonesi and Pablo Rago, inter alia. Directed by Mariano Hueterthe series, based on real events, deals with one of the most emblematic cases of Argentine police history, to move the public opinion of the last century: that of the famous poisoner Yiya Murano.
News: In “Druk” it is again directed by Javier Daulte. Gene Hackman said that what he needed of a director was to indicate stronger, more slowly, faster or slower. What do you need from a director to do a work like this?
Carlos Portaluppi: That he knows how to administer the energy of the actors, I need that and win their trust to be able to give me completely. When it comes to someone you already worked with previously, such as Daulte, there is a paved road. It is my third time with Javier, the first was “you were never so adorable,” exactly twenty years ago and it was a precious experience. We premiered it within the Bioodrama cycle in the theatrical complex of Buenos Aires, we made two seasons in Sarmiento, one at the La Ribera Theater, then we put together a cooperative and ended in Corrientes Street, at the Broadway Theater. María Onetto shone every night, next to Mirta Busnelli, Luciano Cáceres, William Prociuk, Lucrecia Oviedo, Lorena Forte me too. I connected very well with Daulte and we got great until today because we talked about the life of his family. I had to play Javier’s grandfather, so I met a good part of his sensitivity because we were working with a very intimate fiber, which allowed us to absolutely, a deeper and closest knowledge. All that adds, know him as the director, the person, the teacher and the bright playwright who is.
News: After that experience and before “Druk” they also shared another work, “happiness” …
Portaluppi: Yes, with another barbarian team. For me it is one of Javier’s most flight, a culminating point of his writing because he has a lot of intrigue, suspense, humor and love. It was also an unforgettable experience because the work became just the year in which it snowed in Buenos Aires, in 2007. My son was just one year old, I remember that we were rehearsing and we ran to see how snow fell on the city, it was something unusual and very beautiful. Now we are with the snowfall of “the eternal” (laughs).
News: In recent times we were seeing him a lot in the theater, he made “vote”, “wild gardens” and now “Druk.” Are all proposals that interested him in his content or circumstances pushed him to get on stage?
Portaluppi: Happily everything has interested me. “Let’s vote” was really a very interesting bet with a beautiful cast: Virginia Lago, Agustina Cherri, Gustavo Garzón, Juan Gil Navarro, with whom we are now repeating in “Druk.” The work addressed a theme as important as mental health from a unusual side because the action takes place in the typical consortium meeting to discuss a matter of the elevator. It was an impeccable proposal.
News: Both in “wild gardens” and “vote” talk about clashes and crack. “Druk” instead is a claim of male friendship?
Portaluppi: Yes, it is a work that basically speaks in depth of the friendship of four teachers, colleagues in the same institution, who are going through different personal crises, both in the professional and private sphere. From the theory of a Norwegian psychologist who maintains that drinking is a very healthy and intelligent option because people are born with a deficit of 0.5 percent of alcohol in blood, and that when one is overcome one one is more sociable, relaxed, brave and lucid – all qualities that in everyday life are elusive to these beings -, begin to share the experiment of drinking. At first they get amazing results, but when they decide to go beyond obviously there are consequences. There you clearly realize that you do not need any substance to fight against the vicissitudes to which life faces us, we must face and cross them. People are coming to the theater because they are working very well mouth to mouth, we tell you the things that happen in that group of friends with truth … not really because we do not drink seriously either, but we make them believe yes! (series).
News: One of its most distinctive characteristics, whether in cinema or in theater, is the handling of the voice. Did you always have that vocal power or is it something that was working?
Portaluppi: He has always been, either of Tana family (laughs). There is as an important air flow and I have not had major difficulties in projecting the voice. I would tell you that the difficulty is the other way around, sometimes I have to shrink a little. I would have liked to be able to use the voice for song, but it was not given.
News: I read there that in a work directed by Augusto Fernandes served to make some special effects …
Portaluppi: In the year 94 or 95 he directed in Cervantes an adaptation of the trilogy of “Way to Damascus” by August Strindberg called “The Lightning.” At that time he was starting to study with him and was only to witness the essays. One day he was sitting alone and he had to do exercises before rehearsing, so he asked the soundist to make some necessary sounds for that, but the man apologized because he did not have them. There I impulsively got up from the armchair, I went to the cabin, I asked the sonidist to connect a microphone and started making noise, things with the voice, to generate climates. The intention was to contribute to what they were needing, it seems that it worked because the next day, when I saw the essays again, Augusto called me to thank those sounds and ask if I would like to get on stage. Imagine! I could not believe (laughs), you had to be in the place and the right time, nothing is casual.
News: He once said that one of his dreams was to make “Cyrano.” Is that dream or the Puma Goity in force for now of the character?
Portaluppi: It is still my dream! He is a universal character, nothing postpones that desire. I have my adaptation work done, I did it for a long time and is there, resting. At some point I will retouch it. I am always with ideas that go down and return to the text to fix things, but that thrust is still missing to make the decision. We do not talk about something easy, it is pure poetry Cyrano de Bergerac. I brought it to a more, more personal and contemporary world, where the problem of the nose is not: there are others.
News: Speaking of emblematic characters, you have made a lot of cinema, but your role in “Argentina, 1985” Ranka well up?
Portaluppi: “Argentina, 1985” is a milestone of national cinema, it is of importance at the cultural, social and political level that places it in a special place for us, for Latin America and for the world. It shows a very difficult stage of the transit between the dictatorship and democracy in Argentina and has had great impact, she was nominated for the Oscar, won the Golden Globe, was impressive. At the time of filming I never wait for something like that, I concentrate on telling the story, I am very fun to be on the set, I spend it well sharing with my classmates. There are things that then happen or not, but my expectations are always placed that people like the movie and go to the cinema.
Image gallery
