Stephanie Cayo makes her debut as a producer: she tells exclusively how she managed to make that great leap, who she allied with and more

Two years ago, the national artist began, together with Ascenzo Bravo de Rueda, the adaptation of the blockbuster Argentine film (2012). Once this was completed, with the script under her arm, she undertook the selection of actors for “Dime What You Want”, her debut as a producer.

Cayo’s new audiovisual bet that will be part of the VIX+ programming tells the story of Diego (Tony Dalton) and Emilia (Angie Cepeda), a conservative couple who, falling into monotony after 16 years of relationship, opt for the polyamory following the recommendations of his friends, Betina (Stephanie Cayo) and Tomás (Manolo Cardona).

The recordings began on November 14, in Mexico, and will last until the fortnight of December, the actress said.

“After seeing Bruno’s work, interest in making this film arose, and since he is a great friend of mine, he jumped on the project with delight. The first step was to make the adaptation together, a more current version, focused on intimacy, on the real problem of the film without taking away from the comedy. The script was spectacular”, highlights Cayo.

─what was the next step?

Getting the best actors that I felt were for this story. It was always clear to me that Angie Cepeda was the right actress to play Emilia, because we are friends with her, I know her, and I know that she has a very similar side to her character. I also felt that Manolo Cardona, another great friend, would work very well as Tomás. And Diego, the next character, stayed a bit in the air because he wasn’t sure who he could be. In this case, it was decided with VIX + that Tony Dalton was the one for the role because he is a great actor and is having a good time on “Better Call Saul” and everyone recognizes him for his character Lalo Salamanca.

─Also, you came from working with Tony and Manolo Cardona on “Amalgama”.

This is the second time I’ve worked with Tony, and with Manolo it would be the fourth time because we just recorded the movie “Invitation to a Murder” for Netflix. I had never acted with Angie Cepeda, but we know each other from Colombia and in Los Angeles we shook hands with auditions, we became very close friends. There is nothing better than this, I have never had such a good time, I have never felt so connected.

─You share production with Manolo and Juancho Cardona from 11:11 Films. How did this alliance come about?

I presented the project to Manolo so that he could act and he suggested that I do it together, then we took it to VIX+ and they approved it. I am the executive producer. 11:11 Films has a great team, everything is working like clockwork, I’m delighted, happy, I’ve never felt like this before. From this side you have more power because you can put your soul into it from each department, and I love that, I am learning a lot, I have surrounded myself with very capable people. Without Manolo and Juancho this could not have happened.

─In an interview with Vogue, Reese Witherspoon said that she was encouraged to produce to get interesting roles for her own career. What motivated you to take that step?

In fact, I was quite inspired by their business model, it’s very interesting. She is a very intelligent woman and she is an Aries like me (Laughter). I feel that at a creative level there is a lack of more women in the industry who give way to how it feels and what we want to do it for, since we are used to how it looks. “Tell me what you want”, for example, goes beyond love and sex, it talks about intimacy, communication within a couple, things that are not said. As a result of the pandemic, there are many couples who have been harmed, myself included, and we have realized a lot of things. I decided to produce because I felt there was a lack of stories with a very feminine eye, that would help us explore the human being from a place that has a lot of feminine energy. Obviously, I also want to choose the stories that I want to tell, the characters that I want to play.

─When you mention the couples who have been harmed by the pandemic and include yourself, are you referring to your separation from Chad Campbell?

I mean couples in general who don’t really have true intimacy, because for me true intimacy has nothing to do with sex but with communication, with showing yourself as you are, showing light and shadow.

─What obstacles did you encounter in the production of this film?

Everything flowed well, easy, because everyone liked the project, everyone connected with the script thanks to Bruno’s good work. And working with VIX+ has been a surprise because it is a platform that is growing a lot, it has 70 projects of which 42 are being done simultaneously.

─Now that you are on the other side, has your perception of cinema changed?

I just want there to be more female voices, to do collaborative work, in which women and men can work together super well. Nothing is gained by having only feminine energy, that is not my vision, the idea is to do something as a team. Teamwork is something I learned from my family, we have always worked together, at Dance Studio Peru there is collaborative work, I am the director of Performing Arts Peru, a program aimed at young people and adults.

─The plot of “Tell Me What You Want” has an adult comedy tone…

Exactly, it is a couple with a marriage of several years that has fallen into monotony, and a younger one, with fewer years together, who decide to explore polyamory, open relationships. Currently, on all platforms there are series talking about monogamy, if the tribes did it or not, and why we have reached polygamy, what things it brings, etc.

What do you think of polygamy?

I like monogamy, I’m not into open relationships, I don’t like it at all; but this film has allowed me to explore that mentality, the why, the behavior of the human being.

─What is the scene that cost you the most to interpret?

We are making this film in an incredible way, we have rehearsed a lot but we try new things in each take and there is a lot of improvisation, which is what I like the most. There are difficult days, but we always end up achieving what we want to do in the scene. It’s not a superficial movie, it has a lot of depth, and that makes the scenes complex. They have all been complicated, they have been difficult to do.

─Is the project of producing a film based on your relationship with the United States still on?

It is progressing, sometimes things take time, I keep pushing this project and I have others that have also caught my attention.

─ Will you continue producing? Do you plan to quit acting?

If God allows me, I am going to give strength to this new facet. I have been working since I was a child, I love being an actress, but I am going to tell you the truth: it is very complicated, difficult, because you play with your emotions, with your emotional stability and many times you have to be away from your family, from your home. Being able to have this producer arm has delighted me and I want to go for more.

original film

“Two plus two”, an Argentine film that inspired the story of “Dime Lo Que Quieres” hit theaters at the end of 2012. It was directed by Diego Kaplan and written by Daniel Cúparo and Juan Vera. He had Adrián Suar, Julieta Díaz, Carla Peterson and Juan Minujín in the leading roles.

The film remained at the top of the national box office for three consecutive weeks. In its fourth week it was in second place after being surpassed by “Ted”. In six weeks it brought 895,591 viewers to movie theaters, becoming the most watched Argentine film of 2012.