When My Characters Got Faces
Hulda Guzmán, The State of Bliss, 2018
When this all began, Luna looked somewhat like the woman who inspired the thoughts that led to the Lo Que Pasó, Pasó story; she was a young woman in her 20s stricken with cancer out of nowher. But I purposely chose not to describe her like her since it wasn’t her actual story. I was gripped by her experience, vicariously wondering what she was going through and death and the shortness of life. It got me on Luna’s journey but it wasn’t this young woman’s journey. Luna’s character began to take shape with each brainstorm and plotting and script revision. So did her sister, Sol, and her aunt, Tia Avenary, and her dead mother, Saracena. But I couldn’t see their faces clearly! They were amorphous shapes, somewhere between people and ghosts. In my mind they said and did things with a blur hovering over them as if it were hiding a logo.
That’s why the casting call was such a revelation. We were on a treasure hunt. Not just to discover what these characters will look like but to discover who the collaborators in their creation will be. Part of what I wanted to do was to let go of my some of my preconceived notions of Luna, Sol, Tia, and Saracena, as the writer, and see what the actresses auditioning would say about them. Even better reveal. So every woman who auditioned was essential. Each audition was a clue. Each conversation revealed a hidden treasure. And the mystery they were helping me solve was how to transform what I wrote into something real yet cinematic.
Hulda Guzmán, Ito, 2017
I am a man trying to tell a woman’s story. Or better yet, a man who believes female characters are the best vehicles for this particular story. I’m not saying this to get praise, after all men have been doing this since the birth of cinema. Mostly because they had the societal power to tell whatever story they wanted and also because women are fascinating on screen. However, in this age of #MeToo, it feels like only recently that substantially large numbers of women can finally make films their way. So, I feel obligated to represent. To tell this story in a way that rings true. And for that I need the actresses, this cast.
Hulda Guzmán, A Little Help, 2019
Collaborating with these women is a big deal to me when I think of how some of my favorite movies are the result of incredible director-actress collaborations. Allow me to indulge my inner film geek 🤓 a bit and share some of the great actress-director pairings whose work I’ve enjoyed.
Penélope Cruz & Pedro Almodóvar.
Gena Rowlands & John Cassavettes.
Hulda Guzmán, Wilder than the Sun, 2025
So landing on Kayra Lopez (Luna), Lorena Peralta (Sol), Yanelba Ferreira (Tia), and Diana Pou (Saracena), means the idea now turns to flesh. And they’re not just performers, they’re co-creators. When we get to the rehearsal phase, I expect them to challenge my assumptions, to fill the characters with life and truer backstories thanks to their insights and experiences. They’ll add “je ne sais quoi” that I can’t achieve alone. So, yea! I’m excited by all the ways their contributions will inspire me to depict them on screen.
And I’m excited for what you the reader will see as an audience member. What parts of their faces will we see the same? And where will what we see differ? Luna’s story began in a forgotten corner of my mind as an abstract question about a real person’s experience. But it will have a life of its own one day because of Kayra, Lorena, Yanelba, and Diana—and everyone else who watches.
I’m so ready to get out of this lonely phase and get the fucken party started.
🎨 Discover Dominican Art 🇩🇴
Artwork featured: Hulda Guzmán
If you like her work, explore more at: https://hulda.squarespace.com/
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