Alejandro Jato It was predetermined to meet with (Vigo, 1994) Camilo Sesto, because when I was little I listened to your albums Then he sang his songs with his high school friends. Series for all this ‘Camilo Superstar’, just opened atresplayer (he presents his second episode this Sunday) means a lot to him. He sees it as a way to validate the image of the singer, who, although he had achieved stardom, became a meme in his later days. We’ve seen Jato before. ‘Serve and protect‘, ‘Every time we’re in love‘ And ‘Bose’His role in this film has interesting connections to Camilo Sesto.
‘Camilo Superstar’ portrays a chapter in Camilo’s life that most of us are unaware of.
I had absolutely no idea. I think it’s a good opportunity to do justice to a figure who has been very misplaced over the years, or at least not very aware of how important he is to music and also to the history of music. country. And there was a piece of confronting all these people and a lot of courage throughout the musical. It’s been said a lot about him that he’s not a politician, and it seems to me that this clearly shows that the way he understands art, the way he understands culture, the way he defends what he always thought he had to do, was political.
He was only 26 years old and risked everything for the musical. They say the character takes over him.
We tried to get a little bit of that in the show because I saw a lot of people saying that the character got them. I don’t know if that’s really the case, but the analogy is interesting because there is a parallel between the character of Jesus Christ and someone who was himself facing a whole people. It’s a nice parallel that we’re trying to play with in this series.
He even had his own Judas. His representative who betrayed him.
Yes, when I turn my back on you, you will deny me three times and stab me with a dagger. His journey is so beautiful because it has a lot to do with that figure. And it’s nice to understand it that way. At least in fiction, I don’t know in life.
“It’s a good opportunity to do justice to a personality who has been misplaced for years.”
You are immersed in deep documentation work. He even spoke to his son’s mother, Lourdes Ornelas.
Yes, I wanted to do the documentation process in a calm, stress-free way. We had some time until we started shooting, so I wanted to go slowly, try to get to know her a little from the beginning of her story. Mainly through two biographies: one ‘Camilo’, which he wrote himself, and ‘Camilo Sesto’, which was authorized. My last song from Elena Gómez de la Puerta’s two-volume book, which describes very well her relationship with her family from childhood to the end… Then, along with many other video files, the few remaining video files from that period. The images helped me imagine who was behind the public image Camilo created. The new kid who arrived in Madrid a few years ago. This is the study we were trying to do.
Is it a responsibility to portray a living person?
I always did it out of respect, but I wanted to take off the pressure of saying that he was untouchable, that he was Camilo Sesto. I tried to approach him as a friend, as someone who wanted to honor him with love. And play with the love and energy I had to give it a beautiful tribute.
Lourdes was excited to see him as Camilo. She even said she moved her hands like him.
He was always very caring towards me and helped me a lot.
Camilo was very mysterious and vague. There was always speculation about his sexual identity. How did you approach this direction?
There was always a buzz around him, but because the show didn’t focus on that part… I think everything about him, his personality, was an ambiguity, and I think he had a secret that we were trying to complete behind closed doors. open the doors and show him this riddle
Model Eugenia Silva plays Lucía Bosé, Camilo’s girlfriend. What was it like working with him, who was just starting out as an actor? They showed a lot of complicity.
Of course, because it was great working with him. Eugenia is very attractive and we understood each other very well from the beginning. Also, it doesn’t look like it, but he actually did a lot of preparation and his Italian accent came in handy. He did a great job. Looking at it fascinated me.
We discovered with the series that there was also a Paloma San Basilio option before Ángela Carrasco. And it’s sung by Elena Rivera, who delivers a magical moment singing ‘Sombras’.
Wonderful. Moreover, he sings with the sweetness he has. It was also one of the greatest things about the series: working with Elena. And also with Natalia Reyes, who plays Angela. He also looks and sounds very similar to him.
Also, you sing in the series, right?
Yes, there are moments when I have a song that I sing: when I rehearse songs. But I’m doing ‘playback’ in the musical and ‘Something About Me’ because they also wanted to give me the opportunity to listen to Camilo’s stunning original music.
Chance wanted him to appear in the series ‘Bosé’ as the singer’s representative and talk about Camilo Sesto!
Yeah, I was watching it the other day and it was going crazy. I didn’t know where I was playing or who I was anymore. It’s also interesting that we mentioned Camilo at one point. And Lucía Bosé was there both times. The next step will be to bring both series together (laughs). The thing is that Bosé and Camilo were very friends.
What both fictions have in common is that they take place in the 70s. You weren’t born there, but did you like that decade?
Yes, because I’m nostalgic. I don’t know why, but I always tell my mother: “In another life, I had to live in the 70s.” Because I love the music of the 70s. I used to listen to Camilo when I was a teenager. The high school soundtrack was a compilation of Camilo’s number one songs that my aunt gave me, it really bothered me at the time, I don’t know why. . I don’t know if it’s interesting nostalgia or not.
His friends were also quite ‘vintage’.
The problem is that the kids in my class, who are still my best friends today, I don’t know why, maybe in my case because of my mother’s influence and because they lived with their grandmother, we were also very interested in this topic. Having record players, spending days listening to Julio Iglesias, Rocío Jurado… We were all very folkloric. I showed the trailer to the group before the premiere and they were so excited because even though we haven’t experienced it, it’s a part of our childhood.
It must be nice to share your work with those around you.
This is the most beautiful thing. My friends tell me this, but they can’t stop laughing when I invite them over to the house to see something.
I imagine seeing her with her bell bottom and that big hair…
We are childhood friends, so they give you a lime and a sand.
She recently appeared on the show ‘All the time we fell in love’. Would you like another season?
I would love it because it is so beautiful. Moreover, I did this with a group with whom we were very friends. From production to management. It was a pleasure, we felt super free. It’s a shame, yes; but there will be more.
Is there anything from this century?
There’s nothing to say yet. I directed and am editing a short film this summer. A super nice experience.