Vanessa Saba launches her first book: how she is doing in Mexico, her work for Vix, her response to the controversies and more

The stillness and calm disturb him. That’s why Vanessa Saba (Lima, 1975) is always on the move, experimenting, challenging his own limits. Her parents thought she would be a musician, but she studied advertising and explored psychology and pageantry before becoming involved in acting and now writing. “Writing has allowed me to turn my thoughts into a different scenario, getting them out of my head was what I needed to do and I didn’t realize it”, he comments. The artist debuts in literature with “La calle inclinada”, a book that brings together four stories in which she explores the condition of women and harbors feelings of joy, sadness, hopelessness and fear.

“I started writing chronicles and short stories in 2006, in Mujeres buscando un lugar, a blog I had some time ago. In 2021 I was encouraged to present them to Planeta, they liked it, they chose two, and they asked me to write two more. Last year I wrote the two that were missing. I adopted a taste for writing from my father, who is a book eater”, narrates the national artist.

An old woman whose greatest pride is having a prodigious memory, a lonely young woman trying to find her place in the world, a woman suffering from migraines caused by the flickering light pole, and an animal-loving widow who settles in the countryside. to give yourself a second chance. Four fictional stories with multidimensional and complex female characters make up this personal delivery of the protagonist of feature films such as “A day without sex” and “El vientro”. “The inclined street” is a publication of Editorial Planeta.

What motivated you to write a book?

I needed to write because I am very introverted and dumping my thoughts somewhere is a good option to get everything I have out of my head.

─You ever commented that you are an actress who needs real impulses because you are not such a good liar for acting. Did you also use those impulses for “The Sloping Street”?

It is possible because these stories arise from something that is inside one, from what one lives, and although many of the things you write are commissioned and supervised, there is always something true. It’s not autobiographical, but everything in this book is well connected to what I’ve been through.

─ Does that lonely young woman trying to find her place in the world have any connection with you?

Possibly that character is the closest to me, it has a lot to do with me, with something I experienced when I was about 30 years old: I moved to Santiago de Chile for the love of a Peruvian boy who lived there. I met him during a family visit. It happened to me like the character, I was in love, but I couldn’t find myself. The seamstress lady who lived on the second floor, above a bakery, also belongs to my memories. She was a friend of my mom’s.

─And the man who commits suicide due to treason is also inspired by an acquaintance?

That character believes it because I love the characters of failures, those who never achieved what they set out to do. Possibly I have a personal theme, a fixation with the theme of not failing, if not.

─What did you find in the literature?

I found a new passion and discovered that I am more and more interested in writing. I think more and more about creating stories from narration.

─The performance was relegated?

I’m not going to quit acting, but this is pulling me pretty hard. I found a new possibility of personal development, a new form of artistic expression for me. Hopefully I can continue this for many more years.

─ Was this the book you wanted to write or, as happens to many writers, did it take an unexpected turn?

In fact, I wanted it that way. The only thing that changed was the title. She thought that it could be called “Women looking for a place”, like the blog she had, because the protagonists are women who are looking for their place in the world, even if it is not in this world. But it seemed to the editor that “The Leaning Street” was a more suggestive title, a space for speculation and imagination.

─How do you think people receive your book?

As it happens to me when I read a book that I like: I get into it and I don’t want to stop reading it. I would like them to love the characters, to care for them while they are reading, and to see themselves identified or reflected.

─ “I hide my thorns and my deformities. I make them up, I submit them, I censor them, I disguise them, I banish them, I expel them…”. Is this text personal, does it have to do with your feelings?

That is the most personal phrase in the book because it talks about my defects, the things I don’t like and that are with one permanently. Unlike acting, this process is more intuitive, less rational, free. I love freedom in art because I feel that many times I have been restricted, and this helps me to liberate.

─Is it true that you plan to take the stories from your book to the big screen?

It is an idea that crossed my mind, but there is nothing concrete. They weren’t written with that in mind, but if anyone feels they could be scripted, be it my husband (Frank Pérez Garland) or another director or producer, welcome.

─How about the experience of recording “Antics of the bad girl” for Vix+?

It was very nice, there was a very nice chemistry, especially because of the story. I love the books of Mario Vargas Llosa, with whom I had the opportunity to work. My character (Alberta) only appears in the first season.

─ Do you have acting projects?

Right now that I came to Lima for the presentation of my book, I will take the opportunity to record some scenes for a movie. I cannot give details of this production because I do not have authorization.

─How do you lead your life in Mexico?

We are writing, working. I live with my husband and my little dog, who I thought would not adapt quickly, luckily I was wrong. He is very happy. And through social networks I keep in touch with people, we exchange ideas and many times I get into discussions.

─How did it happen when you responded to a detractor who criticized a comment of yours about the movie “Altarpiece”?

I said a liberating rudeness. Unfortunately, many people think that freedom of expression is to insult or defame whenever you want. If you are going to say something about someone, present evidence because you can ruin their life for fun. The networks should serve to generate conversation, expose ideas, but not to do harm, you have to know how to handle them.

─How did you handle the accusations of harassment against your husband generated in networks?

That was a purely network issue, of nameless people saying things, there was no criminal complaint. There is an issue with post-truth that is tied to social media, which is to believe what you want regardless of the evidence or explanations. This is one reason why I do not want to delve into the topic. To convince who? We don’t need to convince anyone because we know who we are, what we’ve done wrong and what we haven’t.

Was it a sobering experience?

It has been an interesting life lesson, very profitable. We are better than ever creating, writing scripts, with many projects and goals. We are fulfilling a dream.