Heir to the tradition of the most classic melodrama, “Animal love” tells the fatal attraction between two young representatives of antagonistic clans. A chance meeting at a party, a night of inevitable intimacy and a crime committed in self-defense that unleashes tragedy.
The showrunner Sebastián Ortega and the scriptwriters of “Graduados” and “100 days to fall in love”, together with the work of Paula Hernández, Pablo Fendrik and Guillermo Rocamora in the direction of the eight episodes of the series, use all the available resources to portray a combo of sex, violence and urban music, with the sides well differentiated. On the one hand, the nihilistic chetos who seem to have emerged from the universe of Bret Easton Ellis, followers of the legacy of rich children who have sadness promoted by the Menemist situation. This existential emptiness of the wealthy characters contrasts with the vital urgencies of the marginal beings led by a drug lord played by Ariel Staltari.
In a cast with figures such as Franco Masini, Santiago Achaga and Valentina Zenere, the actress and singer Tatu Glikman She stands out in the role of Kaia, a rapper who dreams of a better destiny but is not willing to betray herself along the way in order to succeed. Glikman surprises with his genuine approach to the character and the story he wants to tell, he conveys truth in what he does from the most absolute naturalness.
Excited about her first leading role and in a streak that also includes her debut on the new vertical series platform Shorta with the fiction “Truth or Shot”, Glikman welcomes NOTICIAS to chat about the twists and turns of her profession today.
News: Did you watch any version of “Romeo and Juliet” or “Love Without Barriers” to prepare your character in “Animal Love”?
Tatu Glikman: I didn’t watch them again to prepare, but I have seen the movies throughout my life and I read “Romeo and Juliet” in high school. Maybe you were close because from production they gave us reference films for each character, but we built Kaia from scratch. At one point I asked: “Is this based on any trap artist in particular?” They said no, that we were going to create it in addition to the script, the lyrics of the songs and the costumes. That’s right, there was no reference from an existing artist.
News: This is your first leading role, how did you prepare for such a responsibility?
Glikman: I kind of feel like I prepared my whole life for this moment, so I had time (Laughs). Luckily there was a great team, if I asked for more rehearsals, they gave them to me, especially with the dance. If suddenly there was choreography for a scene and they gave me two rehearsals, I would ask for seven. I’m an actress, but I’ve taken singing and dancing classes all my life, so when the time came I said: “It’s good that I’m up for it.” Another thing to highlight is that I had a vocal coach. It was a spectacular preparation supported by a very meticulous team.
News: Many of us remember you in the series “In the mud”, also with Sebastián Ortega at the helm. Do you notice similarities between that universe and that of “Animal Love”?
Glikman: Not in terms of how sex is shown, for example, I think that in the series “In the Mud” the world of OnlyFans was very present, here it is more natural, they are young people having sex. But I do find some points of contact perhaps in the world of marginality, although on another level, because Kaia is not in prison, she simply lives in a precarious neighborhood. But obviously Sebastián really likes that universe and knows how to illustrate it very well.
News: It’s impossible not to pay attention to the t-shirt you’re wearing because it’s from “A Woman Under the Influence,” Cassavetes’ film. Are you a big movie buff?
Glikman: Yes, I love cinema. During the pandemic I started watching movies I had never seen in my life! My partner is an art director, so, for example, we watched all of Tarkovsky’s films, until that moment I had no idea. That’s when I became aware that there were more directors than Scorsese! (laughs) I started watching a lot of movies, discovering authors and today not a day goes by in which I don’t see a movie.
News: In “Amor animal” you meet again with Valentina Zenere after “In the mud”. Did they become good friends?
Glikman: Yes, we met on the filming of “In the Mud”, but the connection between us started at the end. There was a slump at work, we started chatting and Valen said to me: “Do you want to come up to my dressing room and we’ll have lunch together?” Something special happened there, did you see when you fall in love with someone at first sight? I fell in love with Valen, friendly and we never stopped talking again! It was very crazy, we went on vacation together, we got tattoos and everything. Have you seen those couples that you say: “They’re not going to last because they’re going too fast”? Well, this friendship denies it, we have been like sisters for two years.
News: In the series “In the mud” you had María Becerra as your partner and in “Amor animal” there are several cameos by singers, among them that of La Joaqui. It shows that you really like music. What artists do you listen to?
Glikman: Lately I’m very obsessed with a rapper called Tierra Whack, there is also another singer that I really like right now, her name is Noga. Sometimes the songs come to me visually, I pay a lot of attention to the video clips. At some point this year I’m going to release my own music and the people on my team tell me “Think about the songs, not so much about the video!” (Series). I am broad musically, I listen to everything, one day I have a mate with Seru Giran in the background and at night I am in full swing with Nicki Nicole. There is no very consistent line…
News: You speak English very well, do you have the idea of applying it in your music or to make films and series internationally? Would you like to try something in the Anglo market?
Glikman: All work is welcome. For me, Argentina is the best country in the world if we talk about cinema, so if I can have a job here, I am happy. Of course, to gain experience I would go to work anywhere else if the project is good, I recognize that English has facilitated castings that may not even reach you if you do not have a certain level of language. Do you know how I learned English? It was not by studying formally, in fact, I learned by listening to songs and watching movies. I did this: I watched a movie with Spanish subtitles and then I watched it again with English subtitles, that’s how I learned!
News: You have a lot of experience auditioning. What advice would you give to an actor who is just starting out and has to do a self-casting from home?
Glikman: My first piece of advice is that if you want to be famous, don’t dedicate yourself to this, only do it if you like acting, because there are things that you are going to learn the hard way. Recently a casting director told me: “Look, I loved the material you sent, but isn’t it better if you do it without the character’s costumes?” It was like I was telling you that I cast for “Spider-Man” and I put on the Spider-Man suit for that. I thought I had given everything, but there I learned something valuable, there is no need to dress up, the most important thing is to be able to learn the lyrics well and then play acting. Any other advice? Record the video with a plain wall in the background.
News: Who have been your teachers in this profession?
Glikman: Ugh, many, but my teacher, my theater shaman is Nora Moseinco, for me she is a magician, she made me love acting. Being part of their classes made me very embarrassed because I thought: “I would pay to see these actors who are my classmates.” They were so good that sometimes it was difficult for me to move forward and do my own thing. I spent a year in the stands with my little notebook, with a passive process, just watching, until I finally got the courage…and all of that happened with ten years of classes on top of me elsewhere. I also had teachers that I loved and that I love like Paula Grinszpan and Ale Gigena. I came to study musical comedy on Broadway when I thought I wanted to dedicate myself to that, I took classes with Kathy Morath, with Marcelo Velasco Vidal… luckily I had very good teachers who showed me a beautiful path.
