She stars in the new film of Paco Arango, a charity comedy whose benefits will be for children with cancer and for the island of La Palma
Carmen Maura literally takes on the role of a Basque truck driver. And he is having a great time. It is a requirement of the script for ‘My other Jon’, the fourth feature film by Paco Arango, businessman, filmmaker and patron who became the angel of solidarity cinema. Arango is currently making progress with the filming of this “tender and fantastic” comedy whose benefits will improve the lives of children with cancer, whom he cares for from the Aladina Foundation, and those affected by the volcano La Palma. Carmen Maura leads a cast in which she shares the set for the first time with Aitana Sánchez Gijón, along with the likes of Olivia Molina, Carlos Santos and Ana Obregón.
Years ago, Arango devised an incredible and funny story to humorously ease the pain that aggravated his octogenarian mother, who died a few months ago. He imagined a place where other bodies were rented for things like his own, and where he could spend a few days happily doing crazy things. “But unfortunately they only have the body of a Basque truck driver left and that doesn’t seem very suitable for you,” he told his mother. Besides making him laugh, the script for “My other Jon” was starting to take shape.
Maura plays Merche, a mischievous woman nearly 80 years old who, on the brink of death, decides to grant her last wishes. Try this fantastic body-changing idea by imagining that of Jon, the burly 58-year-old Basque truck driver imagined by the filmmaker, played by Fernando Albizu.
The experiment leads to a “crazy and tender” comedy in which, according to Maura, “death is talked about without bad vibes”. Merche involves her three best friends in mischief unworthy of her age. One of his wishes is to see the sea for the last time, so he invites his daughter Rocío (Olivia Molina) to visit the island of La Palma, although her health will prevent her from making the trip at the last minute.
“I did not hesitate for a second to accept Paco Arango’s proposal,” explains Maura between the state-of-the-art laboratory and the Vip funeral home built for filming on a set near Madrid. “You can make a funny movie with death in the background. I am discreet and do not get out of hand,” explains the actress.
She is “elated” to be playing a role befitting her age. “I’m lucky to be an old woman without surgery, so papers like this fall on me.” “I have not had surgery and will never have surgery,” he emphasizes. He says Pedro Almodóvar suggested an aesthetic retouch to him years ago. “Operate yourself” was his answer. “Cosmetic surgery is slavery. Of course I want to grow old and I know there will always be a place for an old lady in movies,” said the actress, who just like her character has turned 76.
She was never short of work and she assures that it was because she was not “very excellent” in the beginning. “I never thought I would be someone in this job and I don’t feel like a career,” he says now that he can choose and choose “what amuses me”. “Fortunately, I feel like I have nothing to gain, because I never wanted to get anywhere,” he says, aware of the fact that he was “very lucky” and of his virtue “never getting depressed”.
She will soon get another role as grandmother in the series ‘Tierra de mujeres’ alongside Eva Longoria. And that he is reluctant with the series and prefers the cinema, with regret, yes, that the theaters are empty today. “Our cinema is in good health and the platforms are a gift, but nobody goes to the theatres. The covid killed them,” he laments.
Aitana Sánchez-Gijón gives him the replica, in the role of the eccentric scientist who transmutes the soul of an elderly person into the corpse of a recently deceased person for three days to fulfill every dream. “I’m happy to do comedy,” declares the great dramatic actress, knowing that the genre is “slick” and that “I have no comedic vision.” “It’s very healthy to laugh at death, which has been with us since the day we were born, even if we live with our backs to them,” he says.
A reflection shared by the director, whose Mexican heritage gives him a very familiar relationship with the Grim Reaper. “The film is about death, but it is a tribute to life, which is very vulnerable,” Arango illustrates. Manband, Arango is producer, director, author of the script and part of the soundtrack in a project with a budget of 4.5 million euros that will be released in 2023.
As with his three previous films -‘Maktub’, ‘What really matters’ (The Healer)’ and ‘Los Rodríguez y el más tú’- Arango wants to help entertain and raise awareness as well. With this, the filmmaker and patron has raised and donated more than 7 million euros to Spanish children and children from other countries. Among them are 121 Ukrainian children, 36 of whom he brought to Spain to be treated for cancer here.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
