Magdyel Ugaz: her opinion on the LGBTQ+ community, the return of ‘La Teresita’ and her internationalization plans

The character of ‘La Teresita’ gave the opportunity to Magdyel Ugaz to appear 1575 times on the small screen. The series “Al Fondo Hay Sitio”, which had its last broadcast in 2016, was the deepest experience that she has lived in her career. And it doesn’t end, because this year she returns with the same role in a new season that will be broadcast on América TV. For this reason, the actress, very enthusiastic about the new cast and filming set, highlights the early days of the boom caused by the Maldini and González families. Thus, after 6 years, she sees the interpretation of these empowered female characters with greater importance and she points to the possibility of an international career.

Teresa Olibama Elena Concepción Collazos Camacho, ‘La Tere’, was one of her goals and a role of much learning. But ‘la Tere’ is not the only reflection of the new Magdyel Ugaz, but also Sofia, the first lesbian character on the Peruvian big screen. This appears in the film “Encintados”, which premiered on May 26 in theaters, and includes the story of a couple of women who want to have a baby and consolidate their family.

—In social networks you show yourself as a woman who prioritizes self-love, freedom and life without social beliefs. Somehow, Sofia and Teresita also cover those dimensions. Are you looking for those kind of characters?

Yes, as is, and how good it is perceived. I believe that the characters do not have to be perfect, because the imperfect is the wonderful and real. I look for my characters to have breaks with which I feel identified. In the case of the film “Encintados”, Sofia’s struggle in a country as homophobic as ours, one of those that pays the least attention to civil union laws, where the LGTBIQ+ community is greatly affected, allows me to put myself in their shoes. from someone else that I probably must have passed on the street or had a conversation. Because I am like that. I imagine my characters and the experiences they have had. And I imagine Sofía, who hid that she is a lesbian and went through a process to be able to verbalize her sexual orientation, but she no longer hides it. Anyway, I think that makes this country uncomfortable.

—When the trailer for the film came out, the criticism rained down.

It was brutal. Homophobic criticism with which I was impressed. I started to think that I am heterosexual and I look at things from my privilege, but I imagined the pain of what the LGTBIQ+ community is experiencing, it is very strong. (On social networks) They spoke to me as if I were Sofia, and told me that I was going to burn in hell, that the times of Sodom and Gomorrah were living, that I was going to regret taking the story of two women in love to the big screen. But for that! Because this happens: homoparental families are not a project: they exist, they are, they deserve to be made visible, they deserve the same rights that we all have; and that doesn’t happen.

—Why do you think these criticisms are given?

I think that homophobic comments come from the fear of change, of things happening that we were not used to or learned in our childhood. We understood that family and love were one way and it scares us, it makes us feel like we don’t belong, because we don’t want it to happen. So we automatically react defensively. To me, the changes seem beautiful, but I know that they also require a lot of courage.

—Did you also get strong criticism with the character of ‘La Teresita’?

Many! We are living other times. When “In the background there is a place” was released, there was no ‘body positive’ nor was there talk of ‘real bodies’, breaking labels or stereotypes. Therefore, what has led me to talk about this is that, at some point, I was in another place, where they used very harsh adjectives and I had no idea of ​​the pain they could cause. Because, in the middle, they tell you that as an artist you have to be prepared for criticism, but nobody is prepared to be told things about her physique. And I was super young when I started “In the background there is room”.

He was 22 years old and, in fact, he had suffered from a very strong depression. She had been on quite strong medication, and when I started to make ‘La Teresita’, I felt that this character made me meet my greatness. That was wonderful. When he put me in the ‘la Tere’ suit, I felt powerful. I was big, powerful and unbreakable. When I took it off and got home and read comments, I lay down. So for me, this character is a gift and then he’s back in my life today.

—Are there distances in the character of Teresita from 2016 and 2022?

Yes! And I am not the same person! For all. We are in another place and another time of our lives. I have met my family of life, with some less contact than with others, in essence, we are the same, but a part of us has allowed things. I feel like we’re recharged. Today, on the set, I saw it. Now we are doing a lot of group scenes and we see how we shake hands with each other. We see when someone is missing a text and we want to save the scene. We see that one is without energy and goes out to help the other. It’s pretty nice. I always appreciate the casts I work with, but something special always happens with the Gonzales.

—Another thing that happens with “In the background there is room” is that it is no longer the same set.

Not anymore! Now it’s in Pachacamac, we’re not recording there yet. We recorded in Lince. It was wonderful. We had a small market next to Chiclayo food. It was our house. The routines were super early, sometimes we did tours inside and outside the country, so I worked from Monday to Sunday. I remember that he worked a lot. Now, weekends are weird for me. But now I am a lady who is in her house. And I like being a lady! I love putting on my fleeces, drinking my hot chocolate, hanging out with my poodles, and watching a movie!

“You have definitely changed. But I was asking you, because last time Aaron Picasso, who plays Jaimito in “Al fondo hay lugar”, published a video lamenting the new Los Mirlos headquarters building in Lince. He said they should have turned it into a museum.

I’ve been there and it’s crazy to see it turned into a building. You imagine? A museum! I remember once they asked me if I had any of Teresita’s wardrobe to put it up for auction at the Telethon. But as much as a museum, I don’t think so.

—Another soap opera talent that caught my attention is Nataniel Sánchez, who seems to me to be in Spain.

Yes! She has lived in Spain for three years and I have talked to her a few times. She is in a school where they teach the ping pong method, which I love, the Meisner technique. She talks about emotional memory and works with what affects or impacts the actor. It’s trying to be super alive. Nathaniel opted to do the degree with that that lasts something of four years, he already finished it. She made a very important and brave bet. Also, I love that method. I want to continue working, in fact, now that I went to Spain for three months, I took an intensive acting workshop, but I would love to go longer and study more.

—You are in the talent catalog of international representatives with a new agency, CVRManager.

Yes, because, although at one point in my life I was looking for internationalization, later it stopped bothering me. But, now that I went to Spain, I did not travel with the expectation of looking for things there. I wanted life to surprise me and no matter what had to happen. And if not, that’s fine, because I’ve already been through too much. But, along the way, I met people, a manager showed up and I showed her my material. She told me that she wanted to work with me, but I told her that I was recording “Al fondo hay lugar”. Still, she wanted to look at things together. She liked to know that I am an actress who works in comedy and drama, that mix seemed very attractive to her. I met her through the actor who played my son in “Colorina” (soap opera, 2017), Luis Guillermo Blanco, a Peruvian. People believe that he is Colombian because of the accent of the country in which he did his entire career. We were together in Spain and he introduced me to who today is my new representative abroad.

—It is something that is not well known or understood, the issue of international representatives.

Yes, it is a conversation that we have between friends in the middle in Peru. I think it’s good to go look at opportunities abroad. I talked about it a lot with Gianella (Neyra), because she lived for a long time in Argentina. She was the one who motivated me to travel, meet and dazzle myself. In fact, I love our country and my routine here, but it does make me want to go to Spain for a longer season and hopefully work there too.

—It is an opportunity, because this agency that represents you, for example, is also in charge of Mauricio Abad, who acted in the cast of “Luis Miguel, the series” on Netflix.

Exact. I met him. We went to dinner with our manager. He is charming. He is a boy who goes around the world. He has been to Spain, lives in Argentina, also works in Mexico. They are decisions of actors who do not like to be in one place. I don’t feel like he could move me that much. In other words, I think that, if I went to Spain, I would stay there, because I make a lot of connections and it is difficult for me to move.

—Do Peruvian actors and actresses seek this type of investment towards an international career or do they prefer not to do so? Since having a foreign manager means a strong retention of the earnings of the artists.

Totally! We also talk about it a lot with friends. Having an international manager is taking the step, making an investment and practically taking the leap into the void. I have friends who have stayed abroad for years, nothing comes of it and in the end they come back, because nothing happened. Or some who made the bet, began to do many things and stayed there. So, it is risky, important and brave. In my case, I think that every time I want to take the risk more and more, but it is not easy to migrate, to contact you. For example, here, I have the contacts, I have grown up in this environment, but not there. And I saw it when I went. Capable, you have to support yourself doing other things that have nothing to do with acting. This race is about risks.

—But can it be achieved or not?

Just the fact of trying is already gain for an actor. Because the only way to play roles with humanity, heart and truth is having experiences, living. If we don’t dare, we won’t be able to tell the stories of our characters. Giving you the opportunity to make yourself uncomfortable, however, is going to be an achievement.

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