With a vast career in television, film and theater, Luisa Kuliok She is one of those actresses who marked generations since her works, especially on the small screen, were part of the family union in front of the television. Her leading role in The strange lady It gave it enormous popularity not only in our country but also in different parts of the world and in Italy, for example, it went down in history as it became the most viewed novel of all time. Before, it had already shined in cycles like Revenge of a woman, Master and lord, Gypsy love, Juan without a name and The unfaithful, to name a few; and later he would also enjoy success with High comedy, You will reap your sowing, I am Gina, Beyond the horizon, With the soul of tango, Final time, Killer women, Today’s doctors and Nobody’s Womenamong many others.
Currently and in times where there are almost no fictions on television, Luisa was able to reinvent herself and devoted herself to theater. On the one hand, she acts alongside her husband, the actor and doctor Roberto Romanoin Juana livesabout the life of Juana Azurduy. And dazzle at the Multitabarís on Corrientes Street with Witchesthe emblematic piece that created William Bredeston next to Carlos Rottemberg back in the 90s in Mar del Plata and it became a true classic for Argentines. The play has been running for 34 years with part of its original cast: Nora Cárpena, Moria Casán, Graciela Dufau and the brand new additions of Maria Leal and Luisa Kuliok. In dialogue with Soonthe actress prepared herself for a relaxed chat in which she talked about her present, reviewed her career, reflected on her profession and even opened the doors of her family privacy a little, which is not so common for her.
-How did you disembark in Bruges?
-It was like this: I was doing Juana Vive with my husband when the thing about Bruges came up. Doing this work is a great joy and it fills me with satisfaction to be able to participate in a show like this, which is unique. So many years of permanence speak of what the work has, such as form and content. And also who makes it. As the girls tell me, it was a great premiere from the beginning and always a full house. With five powerful women; Then Susana Campos went on tour and Thelma Biral just now left due to personal issues. They called me and I am very grateful that they came up with my name. That speaks of love.
-Of love?
-Clear. They offer me many works, from comedies to dramas and I can’t complain about that. Bruges is a gem for the actresses who play it and for the production. They are unusual and unusual successes. When you release something, you can think and trust that everything is going to be fine but then this Bruges thing happens, and it becomes a phenomenon. It is a work with a lot of mystique and the fact that they have summoned me speaks of a love for myself to be able to integrate into that tandem that is them. That was what moved me the most.
-Who called you? Do you know where the call came from?
-They told me it was a group. We had to take the character of Elena, which Thelma Biral had been playing all this time, and I don’t know who of all of them came up with it. Or maybe it was Carlos Rottermberg, the producer. Someone threw my name in there and everyone agreed. That is very gratifying, after so many years of work. I am grateful because it is a gesture of love and recognition of so many years of experience. And to trust that I can integrate into that energy and that way of working, perhaps with actresses with whom I had not previously shared a project. It was a great gift of recognition and love, which filled me with emotion. It was hard to say yes, anyway.
-Why was it difficult for you to decide?
-Because we were going to Mar del Plata to do Juana Azurduy’s work when they called me by phone. I said, “What do I do now?” Because it changed the entire dynamics and logistics of my daily life. With Brujas we do many shows a week and that brings a lot of happiness but also disrupts daily life. It is an operation that must be accommodated personally and even more so when it happens so suddenly. Remember that since 2019 I have been doing another work, Juana lives with my partner for years, Roberto, with whom I eat, sleep and live and whom I love deeply.
-Where do they make it?
-We do it in different places, on tour and we have even gone with the Argentine embassy to Bolivia to do it on the Argentine-Bolivian brotherhood day. We did it in La Paz on the day of Juana Azurduy’s birth, July 12, and also in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. We took it to the Mar del Plata auditorium last year, we took it to different festivals and wherever they call us we go because it is a work that identifies us a lot and gives us the joy of capturing something that we feel is very visceral and essential for our lives and for the community. Theater is always a question and the possibility of reflecting again on oneself and others. On Mondays and Tuesdays, which are my days off from Bruges, we continue with Roberto performing in Juana Vive.
-What happens to you with the public?
-Something very glorious. I do not stop receiving affection and the displays of affection are continuous. In the case of Bruges, we go out on stage and people go crazy. The public goes to the theater to love us and that is priceless. The curious thing is that Bruges has something that reminds me of the origins of theater because it is extremely popular, in the good sense of the word. There is a communion of history and shared things and a topic that cannot not touch you: friendship. I love to tell that: the transcendence in time of love. It is what sustains us in life. Without love, who are we, right?
-Is there the key?
-To a large extent, yes. Each one plays her role, her interpretation, and together we form a hit called Brujas. I feel happy and grateful to be able, at this moment, to offer the public a work full of love and where there is a lot of good, shared laughter. And there is also emotion. So what’s better than being able to go somewhere to laugh and get excited? And end in a festive place, which celebrates life. It’s extraordinary right now.
-Which of your colleagues have you never worked with?
-With Moria we worked on Primavera, a very beautiful and funny film by Santiago Giralt. We had had some divine scenes and her daughter, Sofía Gala, had worked with Roberto on a formidable work, which was directed by the same director who now directs me in Juana Vive: Rosa Celentano. There was a very strong bond and, furthermore, in those years on Channel 9 I remember that she was doing Master and Lord and Moria arrived with her Sofia belly. We shared the makeup room and what that meant for our memories. Sofía Gala, in some way, I saw her birth and how she was gestated in that belly with the love of her mother. Moria is great and it is a pleasure to meet on stage.
-And with the others?
-With Nora Cárpena we had done radio drama in her cycle and, furthermore, in my adolescence my honorary date with my mother was to sit down and watch soap operas by Nora and Alicia Bruzzo. From there, admiration and affection were born forever. I never imagined that she would star in a novel, although she had been studying theater since she was five years old. I knew that soap operas were not rehearsed, so I looked at those great actresses and thought: “How are they able to do that?” A very deep admiration for Nora and a very essential affection. She had never worked with Graciela Dufau but she is an admired actress, with the enormous things she has always done and with Hugo Urquijo, her husband, we have participated in cultural events. I had never worked with María Leal either and it was a happy meeting, plus we had a very playable scene.
-How do you experience this moment in the television industry, in which there are almost no national fictions?
-With great sadness and concern. We know what is happening in the country, at this very particular political and social moment. It is unfortunate because art, within culture and by this I mean all branches of expressiveness, is absolutely essential for the emotional and mental survival of people. With that we are; Art differentiates us from animals. When they want to cut off your art and education, it is very dangerous. There we stop being people and become animals. In the jungle there are other rules, which are unmanageable. What makes us people is the possibility of choosing and it is essential that we choose for the good of all.
-Did you act in any series for platforms?
-No no. You have to pay for the platforms and not all people have access to that. I hope that people can turn on the TV and watch soap operas for free. It is not the same as when we told our stories in novels or unitaries. If we do not tell our fears, anxieties and joys through fiction, we cannot grow either personally or as a community. On the street they tell me how good it made them to watch the novel accompanied by their family, with their grandmothers, their aunts, their uncles and their brothers. The emotional memory of the family was crossed by fictions and that is extraordinary. It gives me enormous emotion to be told that and it continues to commit me forward. Because I am convinced that fiction modifies you, transforms you and makes you grow.
The complete interview with Luisa Kuliok is in the May digital edition of Pronto magazine, it can be downloaded and read for free by clicking on this link
