EXCLUSIVE | 'Griselda' star Martín Rodríguez spills the beans on Rivi Ayala's complex character and on-set adventures
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Netflix recently dropped an American biographical crime drama titled, 'Griselda,' which was inspired by the life of Colombian drug lord, Griselda Blanco.
This mini-series was led by none other than Sofia Vergara and had several talented co-stars who accompanied her to bring Andres Baiz's directorial masterpiece to life.
One of the stars of 'Griselda', recently joined us for an interview, where he shed more light on his life and his role in 'Griselda' which proved to be a sequence of frames filled with brilliance over and over again.
Yes, we are talking about none other than Martín Rodríguez, who played the role of Jorge Ayala, better known as Rivi Ayala, who was Griselda's top hitman, and a character that really shined through in Netflix's series.
Martín Rodríguez talks about Rivi Ayala's character in 'Griselda'
In an exclusive with MEAWW, when asked about the challenging aspects of Rivi Ayala's personality on 'Griselda,' actor Martín Rodríguez said, "There was one aspect of this character that I found very attractive and very complex to portray, it was his mystical side, because coming from someone who is a hitman, we had to show it very carefully so that it did not impose itself only as an idea, but to incorporate that characteristic with a sense of unity."
"While I was elaborating and interpreting it, I re-read some texts of the character Iago, from the play Otello, by William Shakespeare, because he was evil but, at the same time, he was always connecting reality with a superior force between light and darkness. As if he were a sorcerer," elaborated Rodríguez on how he interpreted his character on 'Griselda'.
In the interview, Rodríguez also spoke about the "ultimate touch" during filming and said, "Sorcerer. I wanted that to look good, then Andi (Andres Baiz) came up with the great idea to use some scorpions for a scene and that was the ultimate touch."
Rodríguez used dancing as a method to prepare for his role in 'Griselda'.
Talking about the same, Rodríguez said, "I think each project gives you different challenges and you create your own 'method' according to the character that you play, but imagination is always very important for the creation."
He added, "I also listened to a lot of music of the time, music is vibration and some energy of the character was in songs or poetry of Jim Morrison, so my method was to dance, dance, and dance..."
Getting into the details about his experience working with Sofa Vergara, who played the lead role in 'Griselda', Rodríguez said, "Working with Sofia is a double enjoyment not only because during the wheels of a scene is she is an excellent actress, but when we are waiting for many hours between scenes you can't stop laughing with all the jokes she makes, she is very funny when she is working."
While Rodríguez did not have a chance to meet the real Rivi ahead of 'Griselda,' however he did tell us about how he got to know the real Rivi.
"I got to know him through a documentary he made from prison, called 'Los Cowboys de la Cocaina,'" said Rodríguez.
In the exclusive interview, Rodríguez also shed some light on what's next for him. He said, "What excites me most as an actor, whatever project I choose, is that I can live up to the quality and projection of the project, perhaps before I thought more in terms of character."
He continued, "And now I think about how important the project is as a whole, being a cog in something that has a higher level in the artistic sense in all areas and departments, because that is what the character relies on most because it is a collective art, as it was with Griselda, and what I say has nothing to do with the budget level, it is more with the artistic idea."
'Leo's Room' had a positive effect on Martín Rodríguez
When asked about one of his most popular projects, 'Leo's Room' and its impact, Martín Rodríguez said, "That experience affected me positively because the character, Leo, is in a search for his identity, therefore it led me to discover myself more and become more aware of my identity."
He added, "The character would not have turned out well if that did not happen to me, because identity is something very deep that cannot be acted... I rediscovered myself as a person, beyond the sexuality that was an excuse to tell that moment of crisis."
"The film also won many awards, so that changed my professional life completely," said Rodríguez about 'Leo's Room' in his interview.
From cooking to horse riding, a glimpse into Martín Rodríguez's life
In this interview, Rodríguez said he liked to cook and also told MEAWW what he likes to prepare, "I like to make Argentine food especially if we talk about 'asado'. Especially if it is with family, it’s even better and feels like a ritual."
Rodríguez also expressed his love for horses and said, "Ever since I met a native in Brazil (O tempo e o Vento) making a film that domesticated horses by hypnotizing them, in the style of the natives... without blows, as if it were a job of seducing the animal until it decides to be domesticated. From then on, I became interested in horses, I love them.
If you want to know what Rodríguez would have been if not an actor, you've come to the right place.
"If I weren't an actor, I would have to be something artistic, I really like illusionism, I think I would be a magician," Rodríguez told MEAWW.
Lastly, the 'Griselda' actor also opened up about the limelight and how it affected his personal life. He said, "Our work has to do with exposure, so that is expected, but creative work finds its place and persists as such when it is put in relation to another, that is the wonderful thing about acting."
He candidly added, "We actors act, the public lives it, and in the middle, a new relationship is born that we don’t always know how it will turn out, and if I have been honest with my work the
relationship, I am sure will be fruitful."
He concluded by saying, "Criticism is very important but you can't live for it or without it, good criticism maintains quality standards and is like the sea, you have to respect it, sometimes the tide can be high and sometimes low and everything is valid so I always keep that in mind."
'Griselda' is now streaming on Netflix