Ángela Cremonte – Las Chicas Del Cable

By starrymag | August 12, 2019

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) Elisa is quite clever, but her family and those around her seem to continually underestimate and treat her as weak. Why do you think that is?

 

A) Well, I think it is due to several things. First, that is the way wealthy traditional families worked at the end of the 19th and middle ages of the 20th. Men made business, women did nothing and stayed home because they were seen as weak and as inferior beings for many things. Incapable of anything of profit. Second, Elisa had some mental issues in her childhood and had also been quite spoiled. That did not help for her growth as an independent being, but mainly I think once she grows up and fights to find her own voice in the world nobody allows her to do so because they were not used to it. Also, it’s because it is more “comfortable” for Doña Carmen´s & Co. plans for a tamed girl than an independent and strong woman. Elisa WAS weak and has been always feel unseen. But now she is quite a powerful woman that has overcome many difficult situations.

 

Q) We know Elisa harbors deep disdain for Lidia, and every season she never misses a moment to scheme, plot, or betray her which causes Lidia to see Elisa as a villain. However, no villain really sees themselves as a villain, they see their actions as doing them for a greater good. Can you about how we explore that more this season and the themes we see?

 

A) You could not have explained it better. I do not think Elisa is a villain, but on the contrary, a victim of her family and of society of that time. At the end of Season 3 Elisa and Lidia (Blanca Suárez) get closer. They come clean; they make peace. In this sense, at Season 4 Elisa knows very well in which side of the world she wants to stay. Family first, meaning Carlos (Martiño Rivas) first. Doña Carmen (Concha Velasco), her mother, has done too much harm to her.

 

Q) Lidia and Elisa are adversaries, yet they seem to be angry at a common enemy, Doña Carmen. Why do they seem themselves so much as opposites instead of working towards taking Doña Carmen down together?

 

A) Well, the thing is that for Elisa it was quite difficult to see Lidia as an ally when she was the woman Francisco (Yon González) cheated on her with. Having said that, I think it is beautiful how Elisa traveled in all these seasons from anger to understanding to empathy to forgiveness and so did Lidia. That is why these two women, so different in character and manners, could finally come together at the end of Season 3.

 

Q) You play so well off of the other cast, your delivery with each line is filled with such intent, emotion, and conviction. Where do you really draw from for your portrayal of Elisa?

 

A) Thank you. I just try to connect with the most harmed part of my inner self. I am a very sensitive person and I knew that if I wanted to bring Elisa to life I had to go down to hell with no judgment and with all the truth and commitment my soul was capable of.

 

Q) “Las Chicas Del Cable” has so many layers interwoven that balances so well with empowerment, poignancy, turmoil, death, despair, etc. Yet there is always an underlying theme of hope even in the darkest of hours. What is it about the series and these themes that can provoke and engage its audience all within such short episode periods of time?

 

A) I wish I knew!! I would be producing a series myself. I guess we humans want to be aroused by strong, deep, turbulent emotions in order to feel alive but we also live in moments nowadays where we need happy endings, some sweetness, a bit of lightness and hope. Real life is tough enough and there is something in “Las Chicas Del Cable” that, no matter how dark the situation is, always lets you know that there will be a way out at the end. You suffer till the very last moment with the characters but you know they will always sort it out.

 

Q) Dynamics are constantly evolving in this series with tensions continually feeling so palpable. Between the dialogue, delivery, costumes, and characters what is it about the series that you think continues to draw viewers in?

 

A) That is a mystery and a mix of everything you mentioned. What I do think attracts viewers the most in “Las Chicas” is the mix of costumes, performances, the Shakespearian tragic situations characters live in and the lighter/comedy parts with the friendship these women have. They help each other strongly and truthfully no matter what. That makes them lovable and realistic because that is what we women have been doing for centuries to thrive and survive.

 

Q) Elisa is constantly pushed to her limits but she is like a cat with nine lives, she always finds a way. What do you really attribute this resolve to? How does she continue to thrive and connive, is it like mother, like daughter?

 

A) It is a like mother, like daughter situation indeed. But Elisa is finding her way through light and not so much though darkness as her mother does. Elisa is stronger that people think. She has been so bad treated, so unfairly punished and deceived by her mum, so unseen by everybody that she feels that her breaking through is a matter of justice. She could not be weak providing the mother she has. It is a blood thing for sure.

 

Q)  What I love about “Las Chicas Del Cable” is it puts these fierce females front and center. They are strong and resilient, but they are also layered with flaws and vulnerability. Why is it even more important these days we see these multidimensional types of female leads?

 

A) Obviously, we women have always been multidimensional, as every being, no matter gender, but TV shows did not always show that. Each gender has his (tyrannical) stereotypes. I guess that until very recently, in general, women characters on TV were more submissive, at the service of. Now, real life has overcome fiction and happily women characters on TV are complex beings, as everybody is.

 

Q) Is there anything you’d like to tease or share else about the upcoming season?

 

A) Wait and see. [wink] What makes me happy is that you will be able to see a part of the Spanish history that may not be very known by people in the US.

 

Q) What would you like to say to the fans and supporters of “Las Chicas Del Cable?”

 

A) THANK YOU VERY, VERY, VERY MUCH for supporting and watching us. We feel our love. We are all very grateful to you, from the bottoms of our hearts. Stay tuned cause many surprises are coming up!!