The actor from Bilbao and the actress from Eibar boast a "very high" culinary level thanks to the ladies from La Mancha and Extremadura from 'Fogones tradicionales', whom they have followed on television during their confinement.
Acting couple Lander Otaola and Ylenia Baglietto welcome us into their home with open arms to welcome the first issue of IN. They say that 2020 has been a tough year, full of uncertainty, and they hope, like everyone else, that the situation will improve in 2021. The truth is that they have not stopped working all this time and they recognise that they feel privileged. They transmit optimism and, above all, a great desire to share with everyone their joy on stage with their play 'Amor y humor'.
How are you coping with sharing home and work?
-Ylenia Baglietto: Well, in reality we are two people who, whenever we can, we are together, almost glued together (laughs). Sometimes we can't, because we have to travel for our work, and it's just then, when we're apart, that we argue more than when we're together. At those times we miss each other so much that everything makes us angry.
And who of the two of you copes worse with the periods when you have to be apart for work?
-Y.B.: We both take it badly, but Lander even gets sick, because he somatises. I'm more of a person who adapts to what I have to do. Of course, we are very open to the path that each one of us wants to follow individually. We think that's key.
-L.O.: We are big fans of life and we love to live experiences. If we live it together, all the better, but if it's our turn individually, all we do is encourage each other.
-Y.B.: We have a maxim, which is that when we are offered a project, we say yes, regardless of the time or place. Then, the first thing we do is talk about it and the result is always to encourage each other. We are a team!
-L.O.: We each have our dreams and all I can do is encourage her to achieve them. Her dreams came before me and I am no one to stop her from fighting for what she wants. The person always comes before the couple. Everyone has to have a separate life in order to have a healthy life as a couple.
"At the beginning of the pandemic I was filming the series 'Acacias 38' and we had to stop. Then I was able to continue working from home with 'Etxekoak' for ETB and I have new projects on the table". Ylenia Baglietto. She has always known that acting was her thing. In her youth she stood out and was successful in rhythmic gymnastics. She started in 'Goenkale' and has been in 'Acacias 38', 'Ocho apellidos catalanes' or 'Bagoaz'.
-Y.B.: Yes, otherwise we would have a toxic and totally dependent relationship.
How is the coronavirus affecting you professionally?
-Y.B.: Well, I remember that at the beginning of last year, I was filming new episodes of Acacias 38 and I took advantage of the fact that Lander was filming El Cover - actor Secun de la Rosa's debut film - in Benidorm, to go and visit him. Just at that moment they decreed the confinement, and I, who am very feliciana, thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to spend it there quietly?
-Lander Otaola: But I think it would have been terrifying! (laughs)
-Y.B.: We finally came to Bilbao and I just got a call from EiTB to do Etxekoak from home. It was a great opportunity for me and I have not stopped having new projects on the table. However, my case is not representative of what is happening in the sector.
-L.O.: Actually, it has been and continues to be a period of incredible uncertainty. I was making El cover, which has not yet been released, and we had to stop shooting with the fear that we might never be able to resume it. Luckily we came back in July, but suddenly, at that moment, I found myself without a job and without unemployment benefits, as has happened to almost all my colleagues in the profession.
Do you expect the cultural sector to recover soon from this new crisis?
-L.O.: The situation the cultural sector is going through is dramatic. We are lucky to have savings, because we make films and television, but people who only make a living from theatre are in a very bad way. We bought this flat in November 2019 and only five months later, in March, we were confined. It has been a hard time, because we were seeing how our current account was going down and nothing was coming in.
After all crises come catharses and from catharsis come historically wonderful times. Out of the greatest wars came the Renaissance. I hope that after this terrible crisis the world will change and I hope it will be for the better.
How have you coped with the confinement together?
-Y.B.: Well, the truth is that we have been very comfortable, because we love being at home watching films, series, reading, doing sport.... Besides, as we are lucky enough to love being together, we think it's great that we have a month to be alone together.
-L.O.: I even took the opportunity to finish my novel.
A novel?
-L.O.: That's right, it's called Mala persona and it will be published soon by Arima Editorial. It's a fake autobiography of what my life would have been like if I had studied business...
What do you miss most from before covid?
-Y.B.: Dancing, above all. It sounds silly, but I love going out dancing. Also, I'm super affectionate and I love kissing and hugging. It sounds cliché, I know, but for me affection between human beings is fundamental for life. The current farewells are not the same; kisses with a mask, greetings almost without touching each other... On the other hand, it makes me very sad to see the theatres at 50%. People are coming, but they could be 100% full. It's very nice to see the desire people have to support culture.
"The confinement caught me making 'El Cover' and we had to interrupt the shooting. A few months later we were able to finish this film, the opera prima of actor Secun De la Rosa, which has yet to be released". Lander Otaola. Athletizale de pro, with a background in the red and white youth academy, and an absurd actor, as he defines himself. At the age of 20 he was in 'Vaya Semanita' and has appeared in 'Ocho apellidos vascos', 'La pequeña Suiza' and 'Ane'.
-L.O.: In my case, I don't like wearing a mask when it comes to doing sport, being with my family or going to the theatre. I also miss going to the cinema at night and giving my all at karaoke. (Enjoy a karaoke session from home p. 21)
Have you learned to do anything new during your confinement?
-L.O.: We got hooked on Canal Cocina, especially the programme Fogones tradicionales. Thanks to those ladies from La Mancha and Extremadura, we have reached a very high culinary level (laughs).
-Y.B.: I can also tell you that we use less oil, salt and sugar! (laughs). We do very well with stews, pisto a la bilbaína (ratatouille) and I, in particular, with pencas stuffed with ham and cheese. (See the recipe on page 11).
-L.O.: I am starting to make Asian stews and I like to add ginger, green curry or coconut milk. We really like to eat, but we also like to cook and entertain our friends when they come over.
For this you will take advantage of the nice terrace you have, won't you?
-L.O.: Yes, we have to take advantage of it, but the current situation has not allowed us to enjoy it as much as we would like.
The confinement served to discover, among other things, that the first thing people buy in extreme situations is toilet paper, did you get that way too?
-L.O.: (laughs) We never understood that. If we had bought a lot of anything, we would always have opted for daily essentials.
Baking has also become fashionable, how are you at it?
-L.O.: I make a spectacular sponge cake with disaronno and sultanas, and Ylenia makes a very good banana cake. (See how to make it on page 11) She has more of a sweet tooth than I do, although I do like a good buttery bun or a palm tree from Don Manuel or the Felipe bakery from time to time. I love them!
-Y.B.: Even so, we take good care of ourselves. We eat a lot, but always very healthy. And on the days when we eat these things, our body reacts and we know we have to stop.
For example, we don't eat breakfast as soon as we get up and we don't set a time for it. In fact, we do a lot of sport and we go fasting. We don't believe in the established beliefs that you have to eat breakfast at one time or another. It's up to each person to find out what works for them and which foods are best never to overindulge in.
-L.O.: We drink very little alcohol and now we are cleaning up. We don't drink alone at home, as we see it as a way of interacting.
The pandemic has eliminated habits such as eating out, where would you like to go right now?
-L.O.: We really like restaurants where they leave you the pot and you can serve yourself whatever you want. We like traditional food and also Asian food, neighbourhood taverns and places where you don't go hungry. We avoid franchises, of course.
Did you take the opportunity to do more sport in confinement?
-L.O.: We have dumbbells and what we have learned in CrossFit we have put into practice at home. We know it's not the same, because you don't make the same demands on yourself, but we're both sick of sport. We have never stopped doing it.
-Y.B.: I bought a yoga and Pilates mat and an elastic band for calisthenics.
During the confinement, the use of video-calling apps also skyrocketed, which scenario did you choose as a backdrop?
-Y.B.: I have a light ring that they gave me in Etxekoak and normally what we do is stand on the sofa with a white base behind it. We don't complicate things too much...
-L.O.: No, I hate video calls, phone calls and talking on the phone in general. Some people insist on calling you, but I prefer an audio or whatsapp (laughs).
Going back to your coexistence as a couple... Ylenia, what are Lander's confessable pet peeves?
-Y.B.: (laughs). When he gets out of the shower he puts on a bathrobe and doesn't dry himself. He walks around the house like that and starts filling everything with mini puddles. She also loves to take off her boots as soon as she gets home and leave them there while she does other things.
And what are Ylenia's?
-L.O.: She loves leaving toilet paper all over the house and leaving all the lights on. Oh, she also likes to leave the tap on for a long time before taking a shower. We are a bargain for Iberdrola and the Water Consortium!
Do you have any hidden talents?
-Y.B.: Uhmmm... Well, we are hyperlaxed only in our fingers and... Well, I know how to whistle with my tongue (they show it to us). Not very useful talents, we know! (laughs).
What do you like to do in your free time?
-Y.B.: Travelling, going to the cinema, theatre, reading, going out for dinner and sleeping a lot.
Who is more handy of the two of you?
-L.O.: I am the least handy person in the world and besides, DIY is something that doesn't interest me at all. If I have to hang a picture, I'd have to call someone...
-Y.B.: I, on the other hand, am quite good at it. The other day I put up a wardrobe by myself.
As far as we can see, you don't have plants, do you like them?
-L.O.: I used to love bonsais and in fact I had one, but it died soon. We left it at my parents' house and soon it was gone, but there was never any explanation as to what happened to it. Mothers are experts at throwing something away and then denying it (they laugh). We don't usually have plants because they die, we're out all day. Karmele Larrinaga gave us some aromatic herbs of thyme and basil and Ylenia put them on the terrace, but one windy day we didn't even have time to say 'agur' to the plants, because they literally flew away.
I'm the least handy person in the world and besides, DIY is something that doesn't interest me. Lander Otaola
-Y.B.: Sometimes we have thought about having a mini-garden with the terrace we have, but we are away for a long time and we wouldn't be able to look after it. It's like with animals... We would like to have a kitten, but it's impossible with our work situation.
And in the short time you are at home, who is the tidier of the two of you?
-Y.B.: I get sprouts, but I'm not tidy, and you, Lander, admit it, neither are you (laughs).
-L.O.: We are clean, but messy. We have a house with life. I'm super mythomaniac and we have figurines and pictures of things I like and that will always be there.
So, how do you divide up the cleaning at home?
-Y.B. Y.B.: We do and clean on a daily basis and we have the help of Diana, who is in charge of cleaning the house.
And finally, which of the characters you've made so far most resembles you?
-Y.B.: In the end, all the characters you make have something of yourself in them. Obviously, you bring them out of yourself. When you read a character, you instantly understand how far away or how close they are to you. I have played two Ninas; one in Chekhov's La Gaviota, for which I was awarded the Ercilla prize, and another as Pichichi's wife. I captured her essence from the first moment.
-L.O.: In my case, the one I identify with most is Pichichi, precisely. He was very forward and my attitude is very similar to his.
The fact that you are both actors? Does it make you argue more when it comes to choosing which series or film to watch on TV?
-L.O.: No, we don't have any problems. Ylenia, for example, doesn't like science fiction so much, whereas I do. We are now with Kobra Kai.
Which film or series do you recommend to our readers?
-Y.B.: 'Lady Gambit'. Also 'I could destroy you' or 'The mess you leave behind', which on a script level is incredible.
-L.O.: 'The Deuce'. It's about how Times Square changed because of a health crisis and how the franchises took over because of AIDS. It's the best series I've seen, along with 'Breaking Bad' and 'Peaky Blinders'. Among the Spanish ones, El fin de la comedia, by Ignatius Farray, is brilliant, or Patria, where I was lucky enough to work.
A video game you are hooked on.
-L.O.: I haven't played any for a long time, but if I had invested all the hours I spent as a teenager playing Pro Evolution on the Play Station 2, I'd be a professor by now!
-Y.B.: Me in my life! My father used to say that we had to play in the street. He didn't want us to be staring at a screen for hours. There were never any video games in my house. The only thing we had was Tetrix. And having never played in my whole life, now it's not something that catches my attention. The closest I've come to video games is having presented the Fan and Serious in Bilbao two years ago.
The confinement has helped you to read many of the books you've been reading, which ones have you discovered?
-L.O.: I still have to read the biography of Lenny Kravitz and the letters Lorca and Dalí sent to each other.
-Y.B.: I love Albert Espinosa. I've read all his books. Now I'm reading Delphine de Vigan.
If you had to recommend a book, which one would you choose?
-L.O.: My three favourite books are Kafka's Metamorphosis, Animal Farm and Clowns in the Washing Machine, which is fascinating. I also like Stories from the Kronen. We are very much into giving books as presents. Recently our friend Koikili was there with his daughter and we gave her the biography of Elton John.
-Y.B.: The Yellow World, by Albert Espinosa. It's the one with which you understand his universe the most, although I recommend reading his books in order.
Where do you advise people who come to the Basque Country to visit?
-L.O.: Urdabai. It is a beautiful area. Mundaka also seems to me to be the most beautiful village in the Basque Country, and Bermeo, the Oma forest and San Juan de Gaztelugatxe are obligatory stops.
-Y.B.: I would add Zumaia and Zarautz.
And finally, where would you like to travel to as soon as we can?
-L.O.: Well, we had a two-month trip planned to tour the United States. We wanted to go to Memphis, to visit Graceland, Elvis' house, to go to Chicago, New Orleans?
-Y.B.: I have in mind to go to the south of Italy and buy a car-van to go anywhere.
Fuente: Noticias de Álava
Comentarios