The biopic reaffirms its television reign with the premiere of Cris Miró (ella), a TNT series, Max and Flow that recreates the path to the consecration of the Argentine trans icon of the 1990s with the help of the book Female by Carlos Sanzol. The thematic turn towards diversity also guides the eight-episode fiction directed by Martín Vatenberg and Javier van de Couter, in the chronological narration of how Gerardo Elías finds, not without social and family resistance, a more authentic identity by cross-dressing in Cris Miró, who would go from performing in clandestine cabarets to becoming the first trans star of the Maipo theater and an omnipresent star of Buenos Aires magazines, television and entertainment.
Miró’s wake was as meteoric as it was tragically brief, but his journey opened doors to the transgender community in the theater and in the media at the same time that he exhibited a distant and peaceful imprint that strengthened the myth.
The challenge of audiovisual mimesis fell to Mina Serrano, a Spanish performer, model and star based in Paris who is undertaking her first television lead role and also in an unprecedented context for her, such as the Argentine one. Serrano (27), who was born shortly after Miró’s death, voluntarily showed up for the casting of Cris Miró (she) encouraged by the resemblance to her character, and a series of auditions and tests via Zoom from Europe did the rest.
However, the creation of the strip took more time than expected, partly due to the pandemic pause, and only today Serrano debuts in the role of the diva. Katja Alemann, César Bordón, Agustín Aristarán, Vico D’Alessandro, Marcos Montes, Toto Rovito, Manu Fanego, Campi and Adabel Guerrero, among others, complete the cast.
What caught your attention to Serrano de Miró? “I was struck by her bravery, saying something as simple as ‘why not me?’, ‘Why can’t I be the first vecof Maipo?’ It is something that, said like that, sounds simple but was actually something extremely radical,” says the actress shortly after walking her almost two meters tall and sphinx-like lightness through the Buenos Aires Astor Piazzolla theater where the fiction was presented.
And he continues: “When I see Cris I think of a term that I half invented, which is ‘punk elegance’. Because from elegance, propriety, education, she turned the tables, changed the rules and transgressed. That is one of the qualities that have always surprised me and that have inspired me the most about Cris. It is the most difficult thing to do and I try to apply it.”
“There have been some trans women throughout my life like Cris who have taught me that in the face of prejudice and rejection the easiest thing is to shield yourself, defend yourself,” she maintains. On the other hand, making the effort to open up, to be at peace and receive people with kindness requires a titanic effort, and that is what changes minds and makes society change. We have to stay in that light and in that goodness that Cris had. I don’t know how much she worked on it and how much it was something that appeared spontaneously in her, but without a doubt it was one of the focuses when building the character.”
For Serrano, his life in Granada prior to the show was difficult, and he finds certain parallels with the script that he has to perform in Cris Miró (she). “I have experienced rejection and non-acceptance at different times. That has made me strong, more clear about who I am, because when people don’t open their doors to you, you are the one who has to convince them and that makes you better, demanding yourself. It is not necessary to argue with these people: let’s accept them, let’s include them. There is no need to victimize oneself or get angry. Let’s say that I did what I could with my reality and well, it’s a shock to be here, it’s a surprise. If someone had told me in the past that I was going to be playing this role I would have laughed my ass off,” the actress admits.
Serrano, who will remain in Buenos Aires until the end of the month, adds: “I like Argentina, I feel that there is a strong attitude of progress, you even have rights that we still do not have in Spain or France. There is a fundamental law that is the trans labor quota, which since I arrived here surprised me because I was able to see the impact it has on society. I hope it is not modified with the current government, because these types of laws mark a change. It is a country in which there are television hosts, actresses and people in the media who are trans, many more than elsewhere. “I am proud to now be part of this society and this environment, even if it is for my participation in the series.”
−How would you define the context of the 1990s on which the strip is based?
−I had to do a lot of research, because also the ’90s in Argentina were very particular, pizza with champagne, right? It is a context that must be understood. The universe of the Buenos Aires magazine is also a genuine thing that fascinated me from the first moment. But yes, it was all very far from my context, I knew and admired the Mexican girls or the girls from the Spanish magazine.
−You define yourself as a “multidisciplinary” artist. What does making television entail?
−It is a different terrain. If I start thinking about the details of each discipline I do, it’s a mess, and I don’t even understand it. But what I like is to tell stories that I feel are worth telling, and each story has a more appropriate discipline than another, so in this case the natural thing was to make audiovisual fiction. And well, well, I adapt, I get into the role and I try to face it with the greatest humility possible because it is the first time that I star in something like this, it is the first time that I face this. And I do it by listening, letting myself be advised by the team. Sometimes I’m a little scared because there are a lot of people who are going to see me, a lot of opinions. But I try to enjoy it because I don’t know how many times I will be in a similar situation. I just want to enjoy it every moment, I don’t intend to create any expectations for myself.
To see “Cris Miró (her)”
The biopic It can be seen on TNT starting today at 10 p.m., with new half-hour episodes every Sunday. They will be repeated on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. and Fridays the 23rd. It will be complete on Flow starting June 24. It will also be available in Max.
