Ana Duato: "Merche taught me to be a woman, a person, and an actress"

Merche's voice enters the room, but it fades and changes when she greets and speaks with the tone that belongs to Ana Duato. ... She is also Ann, her character in the play "La Música" which will be at the Teatro Cervantes on January 24 and 25. For an hour and ten minutes, the iconic actress will engage in an interpretive duel with her colleague Dario Grandinetti. Two years have passed since the end of 'Cuéntame' and almost one since the beginning of the tour directed by Magüi Mira, but Merche's tones shine through Ana's words.

–It's been 25 years since your last play. How does it feel to return to the theater?

–I was very eager to return. My last play was 'The Elephant Man', with Mariano Barroso, and it was a fantastic experience. The thing is, I was already recording 'Cuéntame' and I really wanted to continue doing theater. The moment came when, with Magüi Mira, a text by Marguerite Duras, and a colleague like Darío Grandinetti, I saw it was time to return.

–How was that first conversation with Magüi Mira?

–We had worked together before and had a very good relationship. She had been holding onto this play for a long time: a text that Marguerite Duras wrote in '65, but which was still very current. It represents her world very well, that mix of always contradictory emotions. It talks about the need for love, but also for freedom. Also about the need to search for one's own identity, independence. Marguerite always says it's a very encrypted text, each sentence is a dart to the heart.

–Was it difficult to return to the theater after so many years?

–I am on stage as if in a place where I feel good. It's always a unique experience. You go out every day and you meet a different audience, because that too is part of the ceremony. Every day, despite having the same text and being on the same stage, different performances emerge. And it is much appreciated, no performance is the same, and that makes for constant growth of the play and oneself as an actor.

–You've spent many hours with Darío, what is it like working with him?

–Darío Grandinetti is a great actor. You live the trust you have with the actor on a daily basis. You must be open for things to happen, things that are miracles. Miracles of acting. You have to be open to that and embrace it. It's been a unique journey, that hour and ten minutes are a leap into the void, you forget who you are. You forget you are Ana Duato, you forget you are Darío Grandinetti. You are on an emotional journey.

–What have you learned from this character? Does she have something of Merche?

–My character's name is Ann, exactly. She is a mix of strength and vulnerability. A woman with a huge desire for independence, but also with nostalgia for a lost love. Merche is part of me, she has taught me a lot professionally and personally. To be a woman, to be a person, and to be an actress. She is a woman made of many women. She could also be an Ann. They are very different and their situation in life is very different, but there is one thing in common: they are very strong, very valuable women. They fight for what they desire.

–You also have that strength. How does that conservative family who doubted your career as an actress see you today?

–My parents are very proud of my career and my journey. It's true that, at one point, they wanted me to be a doctor, but my family has supported me all this time. This is a very vocational profession; more than a career, it's a way of living. I would have loved to do many professions, because I would have loved to have many possibilities to live. But this one has something wonderful: you can live the lives of other people. You have to discover the minds of others, even though their feelings remain distant from you.

–Your children are also actors. Is it noticeable in the family environment?

–Our profession is a very organic part of our conversations. We talk like a normal family, but when we talk about work, we talk about sharing emotions. Where to draw them from, the conflicts that exist in people. That helps in the search for a character, to make it real. I thought my son Miguel was going to do something else until I saw him in a school play and I thought, my goodness. How could I think that my son could dedicate himself to anything other than being an actor?

–How are the actors from Cuéntame doing now?

–Everyone is living their own life, but we know about each other and talk from time to time. We meet up to eat occasionally. We'll get together for a meal and catch up, give each other a little hug. It's not as weekly a contact as it used to be, but we are part of a big family.

–What do you take away from those 20 years?

–The affection with which everyone returns those years of work to me. It's moving how much appreciation and respect everyone shows me. Continuing to share things with them, that and having helped them see themselves reflected in moments of their lives. I'll give you the example of the whole cancer process. Many women have approached me sharing that Merche they saw reflected in themselves. I've experienced extraordinary things with the audience off the screen. People who have shared with me the emotion of a time that has passed.

–This weekend you'll be in Málaga. Have you been there often? What is your view of the city?

–I always go to Málaga for the festivals and it has always been a city that welcomes you wonderfully. The city shows. You notice its houses, its restaurants, its bars. The truth is that I am going to Málaga in a very tough week after the accident. Our hearts are now with the relatives of the deceased and with the injured. We are all thinking that we could have been in that train car. In these moments one feels that we are all very united. There is an emotional thread that unites us all, and we are all united in the shock of this tragedy.