Enrique Bueno was born in Camagüey on July 16, 1980. From a young age he wanted to develop a successful career in the artistic universe. His dream has come true: today Enrique needs no introduction. The characters he has played in theater, film and television have allowed him to register his name among the benchmarks of acting on the island. His acting talent and quality are beyond doubt.
His career includes soap operas Dust in the wind, Here we are, The far side of the moon and in times of love. According to him, it is now that he is experiencing the best moments of his career.
Many perceive acting as a profession in which there are not many guarantees of stability. Were your parents suspicious or supportive of your decision to pursue acting?
They didn’t forbid me, but it was a decision that was hard for them to assimilate. I finished twelfth grade and decided to throw myself into this difficult artistic world. For them I was entering something unknown. To make matters worse, they did not accept me at the Higher Institute of Art, today the University of the Arts (ISA).
I ventured to pursue an acting career out of instinct, out of a personal desire and I did it self-taught; although she had no indication then that she might succeed in the world of acting.
Did the fact that you did not pass the ISA motivate you to set more challenging goals?
I think so. There are people who, when they say no, give them to insist on achieving their goals. The fact that ISA’s doors were closed to me made me improve myself more every day. However, I never gave up the idea of entering that academic center.
Professionalization is an important path. In fact, I am currently studying at ISA. The actor cannot accommodate himself, I think that after a twenty-five-year career he needed to reinvent myself. Earning a college degree is a debt I owe to myself.
Although there are several examples of artists who have transcended in a self-taught way, I think it is very important to go through this institution and draw on all possible knowledge.
What do you learn along the way of acting?
You learn to be tolerant. When you start at an early age in this medium, you have a great desire to transcend and sometimes you get lost among those expectations. Being young and popular makes you lose perspective.
I have been consistent with my career, but I would change some things. In my beginnings I would have had more patience to better choose the work projects to which I would dedicate myself. That is learned with professional and personal maturity.
Have you had to overcome prejudices at some point in your career?
If you’ve had a consistent and successful acting career you’ve probably run into prejudices; I think those things go hand in hand. In my case I have had to put up with slander even from the guild itself, myths around my image, that an erroneous idea of me has been assumed as true. Those things, sometimes, can affect you in all areas of life.
What work or character do you constantly return to?
I always go back to work die of the story, in which I had the opportunity to learn from the teacher Abelardo Estorino. I have to mention too four lessof Beloved of the Pine, which we premiered with Vital Teatro. They are the two most important works of my career.
On television I have to talk about Leroy, on the soap opera The dark side of the moon and of Peter in Here we are.
With a long career in the profession, how do you maintain your passion for art?
It is changing over time. Right now I would tell you that art oxygenates me, when I represent a character I feel fulfilled and I forget all the things that happen around me. Art is my temple, that’s why I take so much care of my profession and at this stage I’m not going to do any work that I don’t feel fulfilled with.
What has made you mature and grow in your career?
There are many factors that make you mature. In my case, I can tell you that there was a before and after in my life after the birth of my daughter. From that moment I saw life with other colors, I began to experience feelings that were unknown before, fears that I did not have appeared and all these elements are important for an actor.
Logically, all the experience I’ve acquired in different media has also given me confidence and the tools to be the actor I am at this point in my career.
Have you ever felt that a character was getting out of hand and you haven’t given your all when interpreting it?
I always think that I could have given more in all the projects that I have worked on. Sometimes when I see the characters I’ve made, I rethink things that could be improved. I consider myself a perfectionist in the professional field and very demanding with myself, that’s why I give myself to everything I do; I try to do things as well as possible.
How does an artist measure the success or failure of his work?
In art one must set goals. If one is satisfied with what he has done, he is destined to fail. The objectives that I had when I arrived in Havana are not the same ones that I have now.
At one stage in my life I clung to a way of doing things that did not allow me to get the results I wanted and jump that other step that my career needed. They are lessons that one acquires over time, which make you stronger and show you the way.
Artists are always on a tightrope, but one cannot walk in fear of failing. You have to prepare for when job opportunities appear.
Among the recent characters you have played is the Poet from the series Bandit Fighting (LCB). What attracted you to the character?
Bandit Fighting (LCB) It was a gift that Roly Peña gave me. The Poet was not an important character in the plot of the series. When we started working, Roly told me about the characteristics of the character and told me that he was going to get rich and that he would gain relevance in the march.
It is an experience that I will always keep with great affection, not only because of the reception it received from the public but also because the series allowed me to interact with great colleagues and directors of this medium.
Despite the fact that the recordings were in complex locations and lasted late at night due to a series of situations that appeared on set, this has been one of the projects that I have most enjoyed and appreciated.
And the seventh art, why haven’t we seen you so often on the big screen?
It’s a shame. I would have loved to wrap up the cinema much more and participate in some of the feature films that have been recorded in our country. The answer lies in the fact that I spent a lot of time on television. When you spend so many months recording a soap opera, no matter how much you want to, you can’t commit to another project. They summoned me on several occasions, but for this reason I could not accept the proposals that came to me at the time.
I was recently part of the movie The oldestwhich brought me a lot of joy, firstly because I am from Camagüey and, secondly, because they have called me for one of the biggest productions that have been made in recent times in Cuba.
Another character that connected you with the public was Marcos, in the telenovela So far and so close…
Initially, the directors Alberto Luberta Martínez and Loysis Inclán wanted Marcos to be made by a person with musical training. In fact, they were made casting to various musicians to see if they had acting skills, but they couldn’t find the person who met all the requirements.
So they called me and proposed the character to me. I loved doing it; Marcos had an interesting conflict that was going to attract a lot of attention in the final chapters of the soap opera.
I hadn’t done this kind of drama for a while so I decided to say yes. So far and so close fulfilled several aspects that I take into account when choosing a job proposal.
It had a good story, it contributed socially to the viewer, it was entertaining, it would generate controversy and we were accompanied by a good team of professionals who fostered a good atmosphere in the group.
Has it been difficult for you to live what you are passionate about? Do you put other projects before art due to lack of job proposals?
At one stage of my life I had a photographic studio, and right now I am in the process of creating a MSME. I am venturing into a venture that offers me economic stability and is an alternative to be able to bet on the art that I want to do.
It is a way to continue respecting my profession and to be able to dedicate myself to my true passion without worries. Through her I will be able to grow more as an actor; It is not a secret that every day it becomes more difficult to make a living from art in our country.
What do you have marked in red on your priority list that you have not yet accomplished?
I would like good film projects to be proposed to me. As I told you, I have not been able to do everything I would have wanted in the seventh art. That is a goal that I have pending and I hope to achieve.
