Since the Argentine public discovered him back in 2009 in “Don Juan y su bella dama”, Benjamin Vicuna has become a constant presence on our screens. He was part of emblematic cycles such as “Argentina, land of love and revenge”, “Farsantes”, “Among cannibals” and “The first of us”. He was at the helm of series and miniseries such as “Alternative Therapy”, “Envidiosa” and “The Absent Voice”. In film it was directed by filmmakers of various styles, from Pablo Larrain and Ariel Winograd, to Daniela Goggi and Marcos Carnevale.
The premiere of “Dad x 2”Vicuña’s fourth film of 2025 after “Telltale Heart”, “Message in a bottle” and “The silence of Marcos Tremmer”allows the actor to meet again with NEWS to talk and delve deeper into the dream profession and the discipline exercised by someone who has been acting for a quarter of a century, always ready for the next project. With commendable fortitude, he survives everything faithful to his convictions.
News: We saw it in “Message in a Bottle”, “Envious”, “The Manager” and now in “Dad x2”. I was thinking a little about the careers of Gustavo Bermúdez or Alberto Martín, are you going from leading man to comedian?
Benjamín Vicuña: I love comedy, I enjoy it very much, more than a transition I think I can explore and experience different genres, but it does not mean a change of residence (laughs).
News: Recently, a controversy arose over Francella’s statements in which he defended popular cinema while reviling those films, which according to him, are for four people and turn their backs on the public. Do you feel there is such a dichotomy?
Vicuna: I think that this discussion is like wanting to talk about the types of families that exist, because there are many and they are all valid. There are as many types of cinema as there are authors and they are completed with the gaze of the spectators. A good industry must support and bring together all types of genres, in that sense there are auteur films, independent films, horror films, thrillers, commercial films, biopics, documentaries, everything has its value. It seems to me that it is a mistake to enter that crack because it is something that is being put together perhaps even for political purposes. I’m not going to comment on that because I think it harms the audience’s experience of the work, something that should be of absolute dedication and without being loaded with prejudices.
News: This country has given you a lot, you have done your part too, but when you see Pedro Pascal in “Gladiator” or “The Fantastic Four” you don’t think a little: “Oh, should I have turned towards Hollywood?
Vicuña: (Laughs) No, because what diverts you is your own life and its circumstances. I know Pedro’s family, they left Chile with their very young children because they had to go into exile. Later life took him through another reality, at the time he studied theater and then he had to fight it, he told in interviews how he worked as a waiter, among other things, when he didn’t have a penny. Over time he began a wonderful career where you can see the traces of that struggle, I think his turning point was “Narcos”, he was very good there and we all saw it, after that he didn’t stop. My life and my circumstances were in Argentina, with my children, that is my reality and I am happy to be here, it is a country that I love, it has given me a gigantic opportunity.
News: Speaking of which, you have children of different ages. Is it easy for you to work with children and adolescents as it happens in this film?
Vicuña: Look, one has to learn from them because the truth is that they are fascinating, in “Dad x 2” the most beautiful shots are of the children with that naive, unique, true look. But it is true that working with children is difficult, they have limited schedules and a whole complexity in logistics. Now, when they are there, those little moments are a true treasure, they are worth gold when you find those looks and those dialogues on the set. It’s the peculiarity that cinema has, right? Make believe that some things are very simple, but behind that there is a lot of work.
News: You have worked with several of our best actresses, Griselda Siciliani, Julieta Díaz, Carla Peterson. Celeste Cid seems like a charming woman, is this the first time you have worked together?
Vicuna: Yes, first time! Celeste seems to me to be a forceful actress, she is a woman who, beyond acting, I respect a lot as an artist. She writes and imprints a remarkable humanity on her characters, in this case she conveys an impressive tenderness. He is a character to whom it was not easy to give the truthfulness he required because he had to be honest and on the other hand have selfish elements to do what he wanted. With arguments, charisma and work, she knew how to defend it and make it grow. I really liked working with Celeste.
News: I recently spoke with Alfredo Casero and he told me that he didn’t have a good time in “Farsantes”, how do you remember that experience?
Vicuña: The thing is that I am not very objective because it was one of my first jobs after what happened with my daughter Blanca, so I will always remember it. I was very vulnerable, connected to the story I was telling and I think that my colleagues, both Julio Chávez and Griselda and all the rest, took care of me and protected me a lot. I always choose to keep the good things, we won a Martín Fierro de Oro, Julio won his, I was also nominated in the shortlist, it was a success. We managed to install a topic as delicate as talking naturally about love and gender on open television. Making an entire country vibrate with the first kiss we had with Julio was incredible. When that happens you feel that you are doing things right, that you can shake consciences with fiction, help kill prejudices. I’ll stick with that, the rest of the folklore that others play.
News: Are you going to be with Esteban Lamothe in the theatrical version of “Brokeback Mountain” directed by Javier Daulte?
Vicuna: Yes, it is a beautiful project, we are looking for how to land it on the agenda of all of us who are there, thinking about 2026. I would play the character played by Heath Ledger in the film, it is a beauty. That makes me happy and also to return to the theater, which is something I love.
News: Last year he surprised in another role, that of host of the Martín Fierro del Cine…
Vicuña: Yes, it’s difficult, huh! It was complicated at that time because there was a very strong political effervescence and being there trying to follow the times of each colleague who made their statements was complex, I had always been on the other side and that time I had to act as the owner of the house, a slightly uncomfortable situation arose.
News: Maybe you have owned a house since your beginnings with “Don Juan and his beautiful lady”…
Vicuña: The first thing I did here was a pilot for “Lalola”, with Nancy Dupláa that never saw the light of day, no one found out. The two people who gave me the opportunity to work in Argentina were Sebastián Ortega and Claudio Villarruel. In “Don Juan and his beautiful lady” I ran into Joaquín Furriel, whom I am very fond of, we have known each other for so long that it seems like 20,000 years! Then we did “Among Cannibals” together, I would love to work more with him, he is a super good actor.
News: He is quite a football fan, next year there is another World Cup coming up. His children are Argentine. Do they spend a lot because of the sad Chilean soccer moment?
Vicuna: Too much! I would tell you that it already classifies as bullying (Laughs). With the World Cups you realize that you are getting old because the years between them go by faster and faster.
News: What is the best thing about being an actor?
Vicuna: Without a doubt it is that affection, that recognition, that hug that people give you. Sometimes symbolic, virtual and other times real. Also that meeting with the audience in the theater, being able to share in some way your life, your pains, your joys. Belonging to a tribe, that’s the best thing about being an actor. It is also a profession that allows you to superficially revisit all the others, I have been able to be an architect, a coroner, a detective and even a hitman! (series). Being an actor is the infinite job.
