The next September 16 The new Spanish original series from Amazon’s streaming service, “A Private Matter”, arrives on Prime Video, a project run by Bambú Producciones (“Velvet”, “Las Chicas del Cable”) and features Teresa Fernández-Valdés as showrunner.
The series, which combines different genres (comedy, romance, mystery, action …) in a fun vintage cocktail set in Galicia in the 1940swas presented in style to the 61st edition of the Monte Carlo Television Festivalwhere eCartelera had the pleasure of traveling to attend the event and chat with its protagonists, Aura Garrido, Ángela Molina and Jean Reno, who told us everything we can expect from a series that promises pure fun in everything 8 episodes which will be released at the same time.
A protagonist ahead of its time
‘A Private Affair’ follows Marina Quiroga (Garrido), a brash and daring high society young woman who, following in her deceased father’s footsteps, wants to become a police officer, despite gender biases of the time preventing her from doing so. . With the soul of a detective and the energy to stop a train, Marina embarks a dangerous mission to hunt down the serial killer who haunts the citywith the help of her faithful butler, Héctor (Reno), and the resistance of her mother (Molina), who does everything to ensure that her daughter leads a normal life and gets married.
Jean Reno describes Marina as a character ahead of her time. “He doesn’t live in 1948, he lives in 2024 or 2025”says the legendary French actor of Spanish origin. “But it doesn’t matter anymore, it’s just like that. It’s without giving lessons, letting the public decide.”. To give life to the rebellious and passionate heroine of history, Garrido says he relied heavily on the roles of Maureen O’Hara, the indomitable pirate queen of classic cinema.: “She created characters who were, at least in my childhood vision, a little more interesting, who had strength, who were brave. I thought a lot about her to create Marina.”. But beware, it’s not the only inspiration. Curiously, and according to what the actress of ‘El Ministerio del Tiempo’ tells, “the contact person [del director] David Pinillos was the squirrel “. Marina had to move and express herself like this pet, from which Garrido borrowed a lot to shape her character.
“A Private Matter” is a story of adventure, comedy and action with a high component of suspense that is reflected in a mystery in the style of classic thrillers such as Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot or Tintin. However, while preparing the character, Garrido acknowledges that it was not easy for him to find female references within this archetype. “When we were preparing the series and we started shooting, I thought a lot if there was any reference I had grown up with that I could rely on, but they were all men”point. “I found things specific to the character, like small parts in different female characters, but not such a clear reference to this type of heroine. And that made me think about the importance of references and how good it would have been for me to grow up with a series. , with such a character “.
For Ángela Molina, who plays Marina’s eccentric and overprotective mother, the gender of the referent is not so important: “It doesn’t matter if it’s masculine or feminine. The referent exists equally”. To which Garrido adds, “Sure but you tend to think that there are things you can’t do simply because you haven’t seen anyone like you do them”. Molina underlines the importance of Marina’s family history, key to nuancing her position: “It’s a vocation, in Marina’s case it comes from birth. You inherited it from your father. Whether you are a woman or not, it doesn’t matter, they taught her to live like this”. “It’s your flow”continues addressing Garrido, “It is very advanced, but for you it is very natural”. Regarding her character, Marina’s mother exerts a strong counterpoint, as she disapproves of the activities in which her daughter is involved, although deep down she claims that they are more similar than they think: “Above all there is the worry that something will happen to him. I don’t know to what extent I wish him that, even if it is his calling. the balance between mother’s love and pride”.
entertainment with message
In keeping with Marina’s construction as a modern character in a conservative context, Garrido believes the series’ message is very important and can help raise awareness and reflect audiences, especially women. “That aspect was very important to me”says the actress. “Marina is very conscientious and faithful to her beliefs, she is not afraid to say what she thinks, and it is very nice to play such a character”.
While emphasizing the value of adventure and entertainment that defines the series, Garrido is also aware of the importance of storytelling from the point of view. “It’s something I think about a lot. Stories have a very strong power in society, they are a reflection but they are also an influence and the audiovisual is very powerful, it has a lot of presence”reflects. “Maybe it’s because of the generation I belong to, that I grew up with television, with superhero series and movies, but I think that Many times we are not aware of the great influence on society that can have how a story is told and what story is told.”.
“It is important to be aware of the representation to put an intention on it”he continues referring to feminist message of the series. “If you are aware that what you are saying and how you tell it affects you, you can become aware of what words you use, what you count, what you are more careful with, think a little bit more. And in that sense this series had very nice things. , small points of view that can change the way you tell that story “.
Elemental, dear Hector
During the screening of the first episode of ‘A Private Matter’ at the Monte Carlo Film Festival, the character of Jean Reno was the one who caused the most laughter in the audience, mainly thanks to his sarcastic comments and his funny butler attitude that keeps his calm. anyway. His Hector is the Watson of Sherlock who is Marina, or the Alfred Pennyworth of his Bruce Wayne. However, Reno didn’t look at any previous characters, but built it his way, mostly through his near-father-son relationship with Marina.
“They wrote about that relationship that started when Marina was little”says the French interpreter. “He’s the butler, the one who listened to everything, who picked up the phone, drove the car … After that, the character builds day by day, since you don’t have the big picture when you start.”. Reno refers to Marina as “series engine” and qualifies Garrido as “a wonderful professional”although it was sometimes difficult for him to keep up with him, as he confesses. “She’s ahead and she can fall or hit the wall, and he’s always behind trying to prevent it. It’s like a dance.”.
Another of the most surprising aspects of ‘A Private Matter’, and which has received the most praise during its time at the Monte Carlo Festival, is its lively and colorful aesthetic section, its careful scenography and its splendid costumes. Marina’s clothes are a character in themselves and are of paramount importance in the development of the heroine and the action, which by the way is quite abundant in the series. “There was a starting point on which Teresa was very clear: that in each chapter Marina would start with a perfect wardrobe and that wardrobe would be destroyed and transformed as the action unfolded”explains Garrido, who is full of praise for the costume designer in charge of the elegant garments that can be tasted in the series, Pepe Reyes. “Elegance is not in contrast with intelligence”Marina says, and boy is it true.
“It’s very nice because your own clothes influence your movements”keep on. “It helps you find the movement of the character. Marina has a very particular way of running by jumping, but that’s because I can’t do it any other way, because between heels and pencil skirts, that’s the only way to run. [se ríe]”. Viewers will see how the costumes have been used creatively to emphasize Marina’s personality since the beginning of the first chapter, which, by the way, is quite reminiscent of the beginning of “The Little Mermaid” and the introduction of Ariel. “You’re not the first to say it”Garrido confesses to me with laughter when I tell him.
In favor of streaming, but we continue to go to the cinema
It is clear that the audiovisual entertainment landscape has changed a lot in recent years with the pandemic and the rise of streaming. The protagonists of ‘A private affair’ know this, just as they are aware of the importance of the series at this moment, whose thread with cinema is increasingly blurred at the level of production, narration and scale. For Ángela Molina, what should always reign is quality. “If there is quality in the series, perfect, because it looks good in homes. We have reached a level where it is very interesting to continue creating more comprehensively for homes”.
Reno, for his part, is also a defender of streaming and contrary to the archaic vision of some festivals and filmmakers: “I’m against what they said at the Cannes Film Festival, they asked ‘What’s Netflix doing here?’ No, they have a power that you will never have and more money than anyone else. Today you have huge screens and good sound at home, so you make yourself a sandwich and have a beer and you see him there so calm “. Of course, Despite seeing the benefits of streaming, the concern for cinema is still very much present.
“It is a very complex situation, because on the one hand it is very positive and offers the possibility of doing different things with different technical characteristics and stories. But on the other hand, cinema is in a very precarious situation”Garrido points out. Reno replies the sentiment: “It’s the only thing that scares me. It scares me. I hope theaters don’t die. Because there’s nothing like watching a comedy with the people laughing in the room, crying with the people who are there crying with you, that collective emotion of the past “.
‘A Private Matter’ is directed by David Pinillos, María Ripoll and Daniel Aranyo and has Bambú directors Gema R. Neira and Ramón Campos as co-creators. The cast is completed by Álex García, Gorka Otxoa, Tito Valverde, Irene Montalà, Pablo Molinero and Andrés Velencoso, among others. The series will debut on Prime Video on September 16.
Source: E Cartelera
