The Olga Alonso Theater group, the teachings of the teacher Humberto Rodríguez and the National School of Art (ENA), marked an important stage in the life of that boy who dreamed of studying guitar at the> School of Music, and for one reason u another, circumstances prevented it.
Many will remember him in small roles, such as in Soledad, the title that gave name to the second season of the novel Under the Same Sun, also in the one entitled Santa María del Porvenir, or perhaps in The Other Corner. It was not until the age of 14 that he assumed his first leading role in the teleplay XP + 2, under the direction of Heiking Hernández.
To this day, Joel Casanova, Reinier in the Cuban telenovela on transmission Vuelve a mira, is among the youngest faces in Cuban acting, and one of the great promises in this world, after playing such a controversial character and stealing the hearts of the viewers.
– How do you receive the proposal to participate in Again a look?
In the case of the novel, Ernesto Fiallo calls me to tell me that he had a small character for me. Initially he was going to assume the role of Marlon, now played by David Pereira, who would play Reinier. However, at that time, my friend was immersed in other professional commitments and we exchanged roles.
“Since I read the script, I connected because he was a noble, educated boy, with good feelings and, above all, because of the beautiful and sincere love he professed.”
Added to this, there is a lot about Reinier in Joel. From family formation, humility, sincerity and that passion to defend love and what one feels above all else without being defeated, is what identifies us the most.
“I’m impressed by the acceptance, by how people stand up for it and see themselves reflected in it.”
Something very nice is the relationship with Fiallo, whom I always thank.
He was the initiator of my career, and whenever he has had the chance to call me for a novel, he has. In addition, it had a great influence on my theatrical training since it took me to my first teacher, Héctor Echemendía, who also participates in Vuelve a mira, in the character of Felito.
– Iris Pérez, Manolín Álavarez, Miriam Socarrás, Ulyk Anello and Rubén Breña, who despite playing your teacher, is seen as one more member of the family, they are the actors with whom you share most of the scenes. How have they achieved this harmony that, without a doubt, goes beyond the screens?
“It really was something we didn’t set out to do. During the recording process it emerged, since there were no rehearsals. That beautiful relationship happened during the march, putting on makeup together, in the filming car and at lunch. With the elders like Manolín, Breña and Osvaldo Rojas -with whom I have no relationship in the novel-, it was easier because they are very
Jaraneros –between laughs- “.
-If you get on the other side of the screen, do you understand the reaction of your family in the soap opera?
“Yeah right! You have to be a bit realistic with those things. On the controversial Look Again Facebook group, people tell me that she is entitled to a second chance and I agree with that. However, we must not forget that he has been a person who has had a complicated life and has a great advantage in every way ”.
Reinier has no idea what can be found on the other side and his family naturally wants to protect him. “People get into the plot, but they don’t think about what would happen if it were them in real life.”
As a spectator, you let yourself be guided by the love you see on the screen. You observe what happens between them and on the other hand, the family. In real life it is not like that. “Personally, of course I support Reinier and defend
the couple at all costs, but it is difficult ”.
– How was that initial relationship with Yuni Bolaños?
It was kind of funny because she didn’t even know who I was. They introduced us and we didn’t have time to meet. Something complicated was at the beginning of the shoot because we had to record very intimate parts, but I always tried to be as respectful as possible.
The University scenes were among the last to be recorded, and we were already more confident. Being the first out, it made viewers believe the connection more.
She always helped me relax, for which I thank her very much. Yuni is a very sweet and kind person. Over time we feel better.
-The elderly and their particularities constitute the central axis of the soap opera. From your point of view, do you consider that in our country and in Cuban homes, rights are respected to the letter and due respect is offered to the elderly?
“One of the greatest successes of the novel has been to touch on a subject that is not very common on Cuban television, to analyze the laws that protect them and many things that happen in real life such as abuse.
“Excluding these people from the family and making them part of the day to day, sometimes makes them feel abandoned. Even at the health level, it causes them to deteriorate ”.
We don’t start looking at that old man, thinking that one day he was also young and that they are people with the same rights and a desire to be happy.
That is something that is lacking in many Cuban families and in the world.
– The issue of prostitution is quite controversial and the scriptwriters have managed to handle it in the best possible way, do you think it is possible in real life to carry out a relationship like that of Yoandra and Reinier?
People are thanking this topic very much because it was something very taboo. It has reached many young people and spheres of society.
“I’m not with her just because she makes me fly in bed. I am with her because she is a woman, not a girl and because she has not wanted to pretend anything to me ”, this was what caught Reinier and it was the fragment of a scene between him and the teacher, he explained.
It is something that may exist in real life, but it is certainly also a complicated world; he is in love and I am in favor of defending that.
“It is quite difficult for us to find a person who fits us, our personality, to let them go. I think you have to do the impossible to have it until life or fate wants otherwise ”.
– Look again, it must have opened the doors to other paths, are you working on other projects?
Yes, I am shooting the novel Unfinished Business, which I came to practically by accident and doing casting. I’m not a big fan of the latter because I get very nervous and that happened to me this time.
Fortunately I had studied the scene quite well. I feel very happy and I thank Felo Ruiz, general director, for appreciating the actors and the good treatment. It is a pleasure to work with him, Tamara Castellanos – as co-director – and the great cast.
Together with Osvaldo Doimeadiós, I am doing a work under the technical advice of Carmen Rosa López, director of the Diminuto Choir. It is a spectacle of singing boleros intertwined with texts by the late poet Sigfredo Ariel. Everything that is music I like.
– How did you come to form the group Café Mambí?
We started the group in the second year of the ENA, when I was 16 years old. First, it was called Gale. As of today we are 12 and it has a very large format. We do funk, reggae, timba, son, cha-cha, fusion and a bit of everything.
At the moment, I am in the process of recording my first production with Bis Music, thanks to the Cienfuegos troubadour Nelson Valdés, who introduced me to José Manuel García, a very important music producer in our country.
“Music is my life and without it I cannot live. When we see something audiovisual, we get excited, but it is not the same if we remove the sound.
The moments would not be the same ”, he affirmed.
– Manuel Porto has been one of the greatest actors that Cuba has produced and according to those who knew him, a great human being. How did you experience the moment of his death after having such a close connection in the novel?
For me, he’s not just Toñín, he’s my great acting paradigm. I had a very close relationship with him and his wife, even days before his death.
“I couldn’t meet my grandparents and Porto was like a grandfather to me.
I learned a lot from the anecdotes, their advice and their help at work. Very grateful to have shared the scene with him ”.
Without a doubt, this 23-year-old has been one of the biggest revelations in the artistic world. His great performance in acting has not made him forget his true passion, which is music, which he considers his life project.
Despite their young age, he advises young people not to assume a position different from what they are, since human beings waste part of their lives with things that do not identify them.
“We cannot waste time pretending and doing harm. There are many people who are not happy and want others to be unhappy. We must do things in which our lives are gone and get ahead. That’s what I want for everyone! ”
