The incredible journey of an accidental star
Newcomer originally had aspirations to be a teacher, and still leans more toward schools than cinema
Accidental star Yalitza Aparicio, 24, had aspirations to be a teacher, not an actor — and she still seems to lean more toward schools than cinema.
But a little push from her sister to try her hand at an audition made Aparicio the lead of Roma, the acclaimed new film by Alfonso Cuaron. It’s based on Cuaron’s memories of growing up in the Mexico City neighourhood of the title, especially his fond remembrances of his beloved nanny Liboria “Libo” Rodríguez, to whom the film is dedicated.
Aparicio’s character Cleo, maid and nanny to a troubled family, is modelled on Libo. By chance, Aparicio and Libo came from the same hometown: Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca, in southern Mexico. But Aparicio also based Cleo on her own experiences as a caregiver and
those of her mother’s.
She spoke to the Star this week through a Spanish interpreter while on the road promoting Roma: Congratulations on Roma! Do you still want to be a school teacher, or has Roma made you want to pursue acting as your career?
I have not decided if I want to be a teacher or an actor, because I like both of them. And also both of them go hand in hand to teaching, both of them are different ways to educate. What do you make of Cleo? Why does she seem to make bad decisions regarding men?
The story is based on real-life stories, the story of Libo but also real life. I think it’s about making decisions, and in real life, there is a little bit of everything. There are good men; there are bad men. There are women who are alone; there are a lot of men who have to play both father and mother. I think the film is just depicting something that happens in some families.
Cleo has incredible empathy for the pain her employer Sofía is experiencing with marital problems and the stresses of being a working mother.
Yes, she’s very grateful to this family that opened their door to her, and that she’s working for. She feels attached to them and she gets mortified by every single thing that happens in the house. She feels those pains as if they were hers.
Cleo shows great concern for the plight of her boss Sofía, who is having marital problems, but Sofía seems slow to recognize Cleo’s own pain. Do you agree?
Yes. The film shows what happens in many houses. Employers tend to forget that the people who are working for them are also suffering, they also have problems, they also are facing issues.
At age 24, you are too young to have witnessed the Corpus Christi massacre of 1971 that forms a key moment in the film. Were you familiar with the history?
The 1971 massacre was not unfamiliar to me. When I was a student, it was mentioned many times in school.
I was also, in many cases, the victim of repression against students. So we were educated about the different political events that have affected students.
And seeing the presentation in the film, it was somehow striking, because it really made me think how people have forgotten many of those episodes in Mexico.
There are incredible scenes in the film, but one in particular involves a beach and dangerous high waves. Did Alfonso’s team make those waves, or did they occur naturally, and did you feel safe?
There were no special effects. That scene was actually filmed on the open sea, and I was there — and at times it did seem dangerous, although I felt quite safe, even though I’m not a swimmer.
They built something like a pier, that allowed the camera to come to some extent into the sea to capture me, but it crumbled many times.
This interview has been edited and condensed.