Photo Credit: Custodio fotografia
Karen Frost and Catalina Fuentes
It’s no secret that we here at WhatAboutDat love us some Spanish language TV. From Chile to Mexico, Argentina to Spain, if it’s got queer women, we’re there with popcorn. One of our top picks right now—in Spanish or otherwise—is the queer storyline on “Acacias 38,” a Spanish soap opera. “Maitino,” the portmanteau for Maite Zaldúa (YlePHOTnia Baglietto) and Camino Pasamar (Aria Bedmar), tells the story of an artist and her young student falling in love in 1910s Spain. Like any soap opera storyline, there’s a clandestine relationship, a scheming mother, and of course, so many tears. (If you haven’t been watching, this YouTube fan video summarizes the beauty of the relationship.) We could wax rhapsodic about about the merits of just the storyline itself, but the real standout, what differentiates Maitino from most other lesbian storylines on air right now around the world, is the acting.
We’ve watched a lot of lesbian storylines. Hundreds and hundreds, in fact, spanning a solid twenty years of representation on TV and in film. What puts Maitino in the top echelon of lesbian storylines is the absolutely standout acting from Baglietto and Bedmar. It’s rare to have not one but two extraordinarily talented actresses, and they absolutely shine in their roles. The empathy they’re able to create through their characters and the chemistry between them is an absolute joy to watch.
It’s no surprise then that Maitino has been building an international fan base. Although “Acacias 38” broadcasts in Spanish, kind translators have helped spread the storyline in at least nine other languages through subtitling. Almost all of Baglietto and Bedmar’s video interviews have been translated into English, but we thought we’d help the English speaking Maitiners by doing a written interview that we translated from Spanish into English (even though Baglietto does speak English!). That way, anyone googling “Ylenia Baglietto English interview” would find it. Before we started, we didn’t know we could love Baglietto any more than we already did. We were wrong. You will, too. #BombaDeEnergía.
1. First of all, congratulations on the popularity of Maitino! Not all lesbian couples on TV are so loved automatically, and definitely not all couples develop international followers. What do you think makes Maitino so successful with LGBT fans?
Ylenia: Well, the truth is that I initially thought that the storyline of Maite and Camino was so successful among LGBT fans precisely because homosexual women, above all, need representation in the audiovisual (tv/movies). But it is true that after talking to the fans over the months, I have realized that what they really like and what they identify with is not a relationship between two stereotyped women, but rather a relationship between two human beings. That’s all. And it is not judged, either, by how they kiss or how they hug or how they relate to each other, but rather that they simply love each other; they love each other and I think what they (the fans) need is to see that reflected. So I think it's good that Aria and I in some way got...well, that Maite and Camino are a free couple in love.
2. What attracted you to the character of Maite?
Ylenia: What attracted me the most to the character of Maite is that she was a woman ahead of her time. A very modern woman living in the early twentieth century, in 1913-1914 in this case in the series. It seemed to me that she is a very brave woman. That despite what they say about her, she has her own ideas and she fights for them. She fights to make her ideas more popular in a more traditionalist society. And I also loved the fact that she was an artist, especially because I had to work on another artistic aspect that had nothing to do with acting or dance (which is more or less what I’m dedicated to), then suddenly being able to paint, sculpt, seemed to me very appealing in the character of Maite, too.
3. In an interview with RTVE about the program, you talked about the special chemistry you have with Aria. Many actresses have referred to this type of chemistry as something rare and unique that cannot be created. Can you describe to readers what it feels like to shoot a scene and experience that chemistry?
Ylenia: Well, what it feels like to feel chemistry with the other actor—with the other actress in this case—is that you find the truth of the character much more easily, because they look into your eyes and without wanting to find the emotion in what the other actor is giving you, he gives it to you—or she, in this case—gives it to you and you receive it. And the emotion that comes out of it is real. It is true because you are listening and you are in the here and now. Then it is almost like the words that flow were yours even though they are from a screenwriter, no? So it is marvelous when you find a partner who understands you and with whom you have chemistry, like in my case with Aria. It is impressive because I truly believe that it is transmitted outwards and that is why I believe that, well, that viewers are so in love with Maitino, no? Because I think that truth that we find with each other is transmitted.
4. In the same interview, you mention ad libbing dialogue in your scenes with Aria. Other than the famous “¡Cállate!", what other scenes or dialogue did you and Aria improvise or change?
Ylenia: Well, look, the truth is that another of the very funny moments that really happened was when the character of Ildefonso joins the series. And that is, all the time I said “Idelfonso,” but it was “Ildefonso,” so there was a moment in the sequence in which I was jealous and I say to Aria, "Well okay that Idelfon guy, Idel or whatever he is called!" And it came out of my soul, and when we cut, the director told me, “Ylenia has been fantastic indeed. In fact, we are going to leave it like that, because it is super, super good.” Because of course in the jealousy I was feeling I suddenly said, “Idel, Id-il…I-whatever his name is, whatever this guy’s name is...” Well, the truth is that later I liked it very much, so that's another of the super funny anecdotes we have, besides “¡Cállate!"
5. Do you have a favorite Maitino scene?
Ylenia: Well, the truth is that it is very difficult for me to always choose a scene among all the Maite and Camino scenes, because I think that each one of them is specia. And at the same time, it is very interesting for us to be able to work all kinds of emotions because since we started in the series, since Maite and Camino met, they’ve had all kinds of emotions. So it would be impossible for me to choose one. As we well know, “¡Cállate!" is a very special scene that we have, which I love of course, but I would not only stay with that one. I would stay with all the special moments that Maite and Camino have lived.
6. Aria brings something unique to Maitino in that she is herself LGBT. What have you learned from her about the LGBT experience that you apply to your role as Maite? Have the writers also incorporated her feedback?
Ylenia: Well, the truth is what I have learned about the LGBT community, since I play Maite, is that although we believe that no, there are many differences between being a gay male couple and a lesbian couple, I think it is a macho society and it has always been more difficult to recognize and accept two women who love each other than, like, two men, no? It is true that everything has been condemned for many years, any homosexual relationship or any free relationship, but I still believe that women still suffer more than men and that they still need to feel free at the sexual level and at the romantic level.
7. Has your understanding of the LGBT community changed having played Maite? And if so, how?
Ylenia: The truth is that my impression has not changed much. I have always had a way of seeing love very liberally and I believe that human beings should love each other. And if they love someone of the same sex, no matter where they live, no matter the culture, I think that people, all human beings, should feel free to love each other. So it is not that my impression has changed too much; it is true that now what I have done has been to live it from within, no? Living it from my own body playing Maite, but as such, as an impression, I think we are going to continue seeing love. I could see it if possible even a little more. I want, please, that the moment arrives in life where no one has to come out of the closet, because then we’ll have the day when none has to say who they love, just that they love. Then we will take a step forward.
8. LGBT storylines set in earlier generations are inherently about hiding and fear. However, Maitino is about bravery and courage. Is this a conscious approach by the show, or is this a reflection of you and Aria’s personalities?
Ylenia: It is the scriptwriters and the direction of the series, the direction, the production…the whole team decides how they want the characters to be. We simply listen to these guidelines and play the characters. Of course, if there is something you do not agree with, we talk and comment and reach different agreements; because sometimes you say, "It is a daily job," so sometimes the same, as there are many scriptwriters or many different directors. Well, sometimes the work may seem incongruous with what was done the day before, but, well, that's nothing more than talking about it and reaching agreements with the team. But it is they who decide how the characters are. Later we take care of playing them as best as possible and as close to what they ask us. Of course, that, in the end, is our job.
9. In the last twenty years, some of the most globally popular lesbian TV pairings have come from Spain. Why is Spain so good at lesbian stories?
Ylenia: Okay, apparently Spain is one of the countries where homosexuality is the most accepted, so I think that when it comes to telling stories in the audiovisual (TV/movies), the writers feel freer and with less censorship than in other countries. With this I do not mean that there is not (censorship) because surely there is and that is why I think that these types of stories of the LGBT community still triumph so much; because they are needed, of course. But good compared to other countries of the world…well, I think they are a little more free and that's why they can tell the stories as they are told.
10. In the RTVE interview, you discuss one difference between stage work and TV being that in theater, there’s immediate applause, but in TV, people approach you on the street or respond on social media. For Maitino, the majority of the fandom exists online. Can you talk more about how having such an enthusiastic internet fanbase influences you? Has Maitino's popularity affected you in your daily life?
Ylenia: Well, the truth is that of course I have been affected in my daily life by having fans on social media, because in the end it is true that now I spend more time looking at social media and trying to get as close as possible to the people who are giving us their support, who are the Maitiners, to all the people who are trying…well, okay, that this story is seen in more parts of the world, so to see, for me to see that it is having so much success and that it is a representation for many women in the world…well, what I want is to give thanks and continue participating in this phenomenon. And I believe that this is what has changed all my life, in that every morning I wake up and try to support this cause and thank all the fans, what they do for me, for Aria, for “Acacias” and for this community at the same time.
11. Maite Zaldúa is rather flashy and worldly; a painter who attended the most famous artistic salons in Paris. In her interview with RTVE, Aria described you as an energy bomb. Who is Ylenia Baglietto?
Ylenia: Okay, Ylenia Baglietto in her daily life is an energy bomb. I always try to see life positively, and I try to enjoy all the moments that life gives to me and that's why I try to take things in a very positive way. And, well, the more things I can learn and do every day of my life, well, I think the more I'm going to nurture myself and that's why I don't stop, for that reason. I want to do new things all the time, to meet new people, to have fun, to have fun and smile at life and, well, I think that's why other people see me like that, with so much energy, because I don’t stop for a second. I am very enthusiastic—very, very enthusiastic—and, well, I love to improve, in everything I do in my life, whether on a personal, emotional level, at the level of a couple, family, friends, work, everything. And since I want to improve in all that, well, I can't stop. I have to keep myself working tooooo long to get my little challenge in each area every day.
12. What do you admire the most about Maite? How much of Maite is there in Ylenia and how much of Ylenia is there in Maite?
Ylenia: Okay, well, as I said before, what I admire the most about Maite is how brave she is. She is a woman who knows what she wants in life and fights for it, and I think that has a lot in common with Ylenia. I, okay, sometimes I am not so clear about what I want, but as soon as I know and I clarify it and I know what I want, I fight to the death and I go for it until I can fulfill what I want, no? Sometimes it is not fulfilled. I do not get angry about it, but I like to at least give my best and feel that, well, if it has not come out, it is not because I have not worked hard to achieve it. And I think Maite has a lot of that, too. If there is something that Maite has, that maybe for Ylenia costs more, and that is she says what she thinks all the time, no matter if, well, it can land her in jail. I think Ylenia takes a little more care of that. Mmm, I don't always say what I think. Okay, there are times that I think it's better not to tell the whole truth. Of course, I always tell the truth, but I don't say the whole truth, because sometimes, okay, I can hurt someone or it can hurt me or those around me, so that is what I think could differentiate me from Maite.
13. Most English-speaking fans probably don't realize or don't know you're Basque. Can you talk a little about the Basque acting community?
Ylenia: Okay, well, the truth is that yes, I am Basque, and what I can say is that I speak Basque. I speak Basque and that has made me work a lot in the Basque country. Thanks to knowing Basque, I have been able to work on television programs in this language, do a lot of theater in this language, including movies. The truth is that there is a lot of work here. I think it is very important to speak Basque, to speak the Basque language, but I have been in the profession for 11 years; all the time I have had work here. During the last few years, I have been combining it with work in Madrid, but here I have worked a lot, a lot, also in Spanish. But what I’m saying is, knowing Basque helps a lot in order to be able to work here.
14. What is the most important thing you have learned from your time on "Acacias 38"?
Ylenia: Well, the most important thing I have learned in my time at “Acacias” is that if you work hard and you are constant, in the end dreams come true. Working in a daily series is hard and arduous work, and it is impressive how you notice the improvement every day; how you can challenge yourself every day and meet your challenges. And above all, you realize that acting is also a technique and is acquired by working. The moment you relax, the technique is forgotten and you have to recover it again. And that's why I think that actors, like athletes, have to continue training every day, and thanks to “Acacias 38,” I have managed to do it, to train every day. And one of the things that stays with me, that stays with “Acacias,” is all the colleagues and all the technical management and production team, because it really is a luxury to go to work every morning at “Acacias 38” and this wonderful set. Everyone is amazing.
15. Is there anything you want to say to the international community of Maitiners?
Ylenia: What I want to say to the Maitiners is thank you! I know that I say it in all the interviews, but I need to say it in all of them because I can't answer all the fans who write to me every day, every message. There are many who say, “Why don't you answer me? Why don't you answer me?” Because I can't read all the messages I receive. It's impossible, I really swear. So on the one hand I ask forgiveness for not being able to do it, and on the other hand I thank you for being there, for supporting me, for supporting our work, both Aria’s and mine, for always staying with Maite and Camino, and, well, for having created Maitino and for supporting us so much and making our dreams come true. Thanks to you.