“Milk? I don’t know if I have. I never buy. “I only do delivery or restaurants,” he clarifies. Sebastian Darcyl (57) when he offers a Nespresso in his apartment on Alvear Street. Finally, there is milk, and also souvenirs and objects from his travels around the world, there are many illustrated books about incredible places and works by top painters. Like the San Martín de Mondongo, which guards the entrance, an incunabulum. It is the house of a lonely man, not a loner. Everything has its place and reason for being. It is evident that there is a route map, that of someone who wanted to live life in his own way, without leaving anything behind and without conventions. A free spirit that was never tied to any mold. Only the one who imposed his wish. He traveled alone from a very young age, studying in Boston, Paris and Miami where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences. TV Movieshe grew the family business until it became one of the largest buyers of films for Latin America in Hollywood, he had his own TV production company and won a Martín Fierro de Oro with “Brothers and Detectives”created the modeling agency Multitalent and part of Life Chekka. Separated with an ex who is so close with whom he shares vacations and two daughters in college mode who look for him to go to lunch, he says that he believes in free ties and that, as always in life, he considers himself a serial enjoyer who knows what he wants “I had everything, I knew the greatest luxuries, celebrities and whims, but today I choose better,” says Darcyl.
News: wrote a book “We were born for this”. Why did you choose the title, what do you want to tell?
Sebastian Darcyl: I wrote it because I felt I had things to say. A lot of ideas in my head, anecdotes, stories of a life that was not boring at all. It occurred to me to put it in writing so that something remains of it, to tell it to my daughters, my family, my friends, and maybe even to myself. The title is my header phrase. It highlights what is essential in the search for everything that makes us feel alive.
News: If you had to introduce yourself, what would you say?
Darcyl: That I am a good work and family man. And also, why not, a serial enjoyer. I never tied myself to rigid structures or routines, I always sought to sail as the wind blew and on the crest of the wave. Sometimes good, and sometimes not so good, but he always refloated quickly and sailed again.
News: You come from a family linked to entertainment, owner of one of the most important film distributors in the region. On the move he came with yapa. Some might tell you that it was easier for him because he was born in a cradle of gold.
Darcyl: The paths are made by one. It is true that, if they are flattened, the slope is gentler. But the crib does not assure you what awaits you when you go out into life if you do not start working and doing things seriously. I was lucky enough to witness an incredible, wonderful mother and father couple. They created a company from scratch, both immigrants, my father from France and my mother from Romania.
News: When you look back on your life, could it be said that you dedicated yourself to the world of entertainment on a professional and personal level?
Darcyl: Completely! I am a great entertainer. I never considered it as a job. I had a lot of work, a lot of stress, but I was very lucky to have been born into a family that allowed me to do something I liked. Afterwards, obviously there were times when I didn’t do anything. Because if I don’t find something I like, I prefer to do nothing.
News: At 13 he went skiing alone in Europe. Was he a rebellious child?
Darcyl: He was not confrontational, but he was restless and mischievous. I was the youngest of the three brothers and I was always very curious, without fears and without guilt. But with codes and with respect. And being reckless was what made me advance since I was a child.
News: His father died and he had to take over the business with his brother.
Darcyl: Yes, he died at the age of 72 from terminal cancer, after having an aneurysm. I was 28 years old and my brother was in charge of the business, along with my mother. But at the same time I had an accident playing polo that took me away from the office for a long time.
News: What happened?
Darcyl: I was playing polo, I had a fall and suffered a spinal cord injury. They had to do a complicated operation on me. Luckily it went well, but the post-operative period was very painful. That created an addiction to pills from which I was only able to get rid of, thank God, a year later. Today I don’t take even one aspirin.
News: And what happened when you returned to the company?
Darcyl: Things had changed. They had kicked me out. There was someone at my desk. They no longer asked me or informed me or made decisions. And on top of that my mother passed away. It was a terrible pain. The biggest one I had in my life, because it was not only separating myself from the family business but also from my brother. They were two very hard years of my life. The most important decision I made was to have a good relationship with my brother. Because there are a lot of businesses, but brother, there is only one.
News: When you make those complex decisions, like quitting pill addiction, or in other parts of your life where you’ve had problems with gambling, do you leave because of a strong personal decision, or do you seek spiritual or psychological help?
Darcyl: The worst thing you can do is withdraw into yourself and not speak. My friends are essential right now. I always listen to them, because they have no problem telling me when I am not right or do something that is not right. Certain friends have been fundamental pillars when I have hit rock bottom.
News: Your best bon vivant anecdote?
Darcyl: It could be during the Cannes Film Festival, at the Hotel du Cap, on a divine little terrace having breakfast under a brilliant sun and at seven in the morning being with Sting by my side chatting. When you are in the industry you have to respect the famous. There is no need to joke because it is frowned upon. But the coolest thing was what happened to me with Elton John on my birthday. My birthday is in May, in the middle of the festival, and I always celebrate in Éze, an incredible place above Monte Carlo. And just that day Elton invites him to his house in Nice to present his filmography Rocket Pictures, super nice. So I invited him to my birthday. In the middle of the celebration, a waiter arrived with a bottle of champagne with a card from Elton greeting me on my birthday and apologizing for not coming. He took the time and logistics to greet me.
News: Your greatest achievement at the work level?
Darcyl: Without a doubt having won the Martín Fierro de Oro with the program “Brothers and Detectives” with Damián Szifron. Having had the chance to work with and meet such an incredible person, and also having bought “Million Dollar Baby.” And also having created the Multitalent modeling agency.
News: He could have lived anywhere in the world, why did he stay in Argentina?
Darcyl: I always worked outside. Now I’m based here, but I also play for the world. Argentina is a very good place to do things that can later be applied elsewhere: it is a place with overflowing talent and a very good education. I love Buenos Aires.
News: Any failures you want to eliminate from your resume?
Darcyl: You don’t learn from successes. Successes are celebrated, so you always learn from failures. Many times I invested in the stock market and asked for money there, or in casinos. I realized that they were things that did not depend on me, but on fortune. Luck has a little to do with everything you do, but when it dominates everything it leaves you out in the cold.
News: What are you doing now?
Darcyl: Now I am launching an application called Lit that unites influencers with businesses. If a business wants to access a community of influencers, they have to pay for our application. It is the institutionalization of exchanges.
News: Give me three tips to become a successful bon vivant.
Darcyl: First, the quality of thoughts. We are not what we eat, as is mistakenly believed, but we are what we think, which is why I believe that we must do a very important job within ourselves to be positive, but at the same time be realistic. You cannot be a lost optimist. Second, who you spend your time with. And third, but not last, perseverance. Life is a constant struggle, so we must not give up.
News: He has a very special concept about couples and love. He was married, but now he is looking for open relationships.
Darcyl: It is very difficult for me to have a partner. I think love is a disease, because it doesn’t let you see reality. Finding perfect love we know is impossible, so you have to fall in love with yourself. I don’t like being alone, I like the company of others, of my friends, of a woman. I don’t need that formality.
News: What’s left to do for the man who almost did it all?
Darcyl: Travel more, see certain parts of the world, like going on a safari in Africa or Australia. And see my daughters grow up well and be a grandfather, very young!
