Hedda Gabler in the Principal: Interview with Cayetana Guillén Cuervo

Cayetana Guillén Cuervo once again had to play the role of a hard, cold and calculating woman. None other than Hedda Gabler, from Henrik Ibsen’s play of the same name, which the actress recently played at the Teatro Principal in Saragossa. In her own words, “she is a toxic character: married to a rich man whom she does not love and locked up in a luxurious house, boredom and bitterness lead her to destroy the lives of those around her, until in the end It destroys itself.”

Like many, we thought that Cayetana was also a woman with a tough character; However, during her three-day stay at El Sauce, it became clear to us that she is a smiling, sweet and approachable woman. And we are very grateful for taking a few minutes out of her busy schedule to chat in our cafeteria over a forest berry tea.

The work tells what can happen when you live a life that is not yours and one day you look at yourself and you don’t recognize yourself anywhere

A little bird told us that someone among his co-workers recommended this hotel to him… Who was it?

The assistant director of the work was José Luis Massó. He usually recommends hotels to us; We have a company chat and it tells us which one is good and which one is not. And this time he told us: “Don’t get distracted, this hotel is very cool, it’s divine, and it’s also in the Old Town!” Sometimes we go where he tells us and sometimes we don’t pay any attention. I recently went to one on my own in Alicante because I was in a hurry and then I liked the one they went better. And this time I saw the hotel and said: “How cute, I love it! It’s like a northern European hotel, with charm, a Bed and Breakfast vibe.”

So, this time it was a good choice?

Yeah! I’m delighted! If I don’t get out of here! I come super tired and I feel at home. Then I will tweet you, and not out of obligation, but because you are one of those hotels that I would love to have in every city. Everything is so cute, so pleasant… Let’s see if you can expand!

The character he plays in this work…

It’s to run away!

A rich and boring woman holding back even bitterness so as not to provoke what people will say; These days we have many people trying to make ends meet with little time to get bored. How current is Hedda Gabler’s character?

The life of a posh girl is not interesting at all, but that is not what the work tells. It is true that she is of a high social status, and we have respected that, but what she is telling is what happens when at a given moment you get stuck and you don’t like your life. Call it boredom, call it encapsulation, call it bitterness. The problem is that everything that surrounds Hedda has led her to have a life that she does not want. And there are many people who could identify with her today because the social conditions and commitments of her maturity sometimes lead you to renounce your desires, your ideals; Sometimes you stop, look at yourself and you don’t recognize yourself anywhere. She is always locked in that house, in her supposedly perfect life. And she goes looking for someone to blame and she says things that hurt because the happiness of others disturbs her.

What is that moment in the play that you most enjoy performing and that you are waiting for to arrive?

The moment when I can break down and express my feelings. The director Eduardo Vasco asks me for restraint. The character, which borders on psychological disorder, has been constructed in a very external way, since his education did not allow him to express feelings. The moment she breaks and explodes, is the only moment I can do it.

She is an unhappy woman because of her marriage of convenience and the golden prison in which she lives. However, that does not stop her from being evil, cold and cruel to others. She always gets roles of tough women!

Even so, if they continue to give him that type of roles, it will be because he is good at them…

Well, for me it’s like a game. Maybe if they gave me the role of a vulnerable woman it would be a surprise. Remember, for example, Alfredo Landa, who everyone saw as funny until he made El Crack, and we were amazed.

Perhaps, then, the role of vulnerable woman is that role that you are waiting for?

Well, I hadn’t thought about it that way, but now that you mention it, maybe so. Because that is going against the current and building something that is not expected of you.

Do you think you would defend it better than the tough woman role?

I think she would do well. Of course, I would understand it better, because it is closer to what I am.