The Basque actress hopes to give a little help to those who, even today, are not completely free in their feelings. She also does so by playing Maite in Una Vita.
Una Vita's audience is getting to know her through the character of Maite Zaldúa, a painting teacher who is romantically involved with the young Camino Pasamar (Aria Bedmar, pictured with her on the right on the other page) and who, as a result, is capable of creating an unprecedented scandal in the Acacias neighbourhood, especially as the stories are set in 1913.
Playing her is 34 year old Basque actress Ylenia Baglietto, overwhelmed by the huge success of the soap opera, followed by more than three million viewers every day on Channel 5.
Q: What was the experience of working on a soap set at the turn of the century like?
Y: For me it was another step in my career. I've been doing this job for 10 years, I've gained a lot of experience in theatre, film and television. Una Vita, however, made me known internationally, including Italy. I get messages from all over the world every day, people really appreciate Maite's character and congratulate me on my performance. I am proud of it.
Q: Maite loves another woman, a delicate question: What do you think?
Y: I think it's necessary to tell gay women in TV dramas, it's a way to show the audience that they exist! We shouldn't be afraid to show the multiple forms that love has, there are not only couples formed by men and women, it's almost obvious. In short, Maite is a way for people to know that there is nothing strange or bad about love between two people of the same sex.
Q: Did you expect Maite and Camino to be so popular?
Y: I didn't really expect a success of this magnitude, but I understand why Maite and Camino have come so far: they are characters that people need to see, that help those who live in the same situation, viewers see in them the reflection of who I am. And this helps them to accept themselves, to understand that they are not alone. Yes, Maite and Camino speak to all those women who, even today, are not entirely free to love who they want.
free to love who they want.
Q: When did you decide to become an actress?
Y: I come from rhythmic gymnastics, I've been a champion for a long time. Then, at 17, I decided to quit gymnastics, but I didn't want to stop performing in front of an audience. At that time, there was Paso Adelante in Spain and it was this series that made me think about a school where people could learn to
acting and dancing. So I told my parents that I wanted to learn everything: acting, dancing, singing. And I started taking lessons at drama school.
Q: Besides Una Vita, is there anything else cooking?
Y: I worked on a Basque series, but I am currently busy with a musical, based on the story of Juana Inés de la Cruz, a homosexual writer forced, in the 17th century, to become a nun as a punishment and I hope that soon this show will turn into a tour. I am also doing a Basque show where we talk about different cultural histories, in which we actors play people who really existed.
Q: What do you do in your free time?
Y: I like to go to the gym, I'm a good eater, so I have to burn calories!
I have to burn calories with movement! I also enjoy going around restaurants, trying different cuisines. I travel a lot, spend a lot of time with friends and, as well as reading, I go to the cinema and theatre as often as I can.
Q: Speaking of travelling, have you ever been to Italy?
Y: Yes, I've been to Rome, Venice and Florence. Italy has a lot in common with Spain. The people are warm, they give you confidence without judging you too much.
Very good feeling. There's all this in Spain too, but it's more noticeable when, as a guest, you cross the border. And then I have Italian origins, so it would be great to go back there to work as well.
Q: And are you preparing to make this dream come true in our country?
Y: Absolutely, yes, and in the meantime I'm still studying Italian.
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