SAN LUIS POTOSÍ, Mexico.- This September 10th is the birthday of Marlon Pijuán, whose character of Isidoro in the comedy Living off the Story has made an impression on the Cuban popular imagination, and has guaranteed him the affection of the entire public.
Behind Isidoro, with his peculiar movements and his popular wisdom, there is a great acting work that is due to an extensive career forged from a very early age.
From a very young age in art
Pijuán began his artistic career when he was very young. At the age of three he sang in the “Solfa” choir with the teacher Maylan Ávila.
He always showed great development scenic. This is how he came to the children’s theatre company “La Colmenita”, at the young age of four.
With both companies he saw his talent develop. He participated in international festivals in countries such as Venezuela, Spain, Germany, the United States, Denmark, Switzerland, France and the Dominican Republic.
His neighborhood was Old Havana
As he told in the program Ale’s Podcastgrew up in Old Havana and his parents had nothing to do with art. During the Special Period, he saw prostitution and theft become normalized, while his family struggled to survive the crisis.
“If a camera or chain was taken away from a foreigner… A society already has problems when you see that as something normal. So, that made you feel insecure,” he explained.
His parents, who sought his career
His father, a babalawo, and his mother, a mechanical design specialist, paved the way for their son to dedicate himself to art.
On the Youtube show remembered a phrase from his mother that was one of the reasons why the young man has forged a successful career: “As long as there is sport and culture… My little black children will not go into agriculture.”
Pijuán said that his mother instilled in him an enthusiasm for art, as she took him to every theater performance in Havana. In this way, he began to feel closer to the stage.
His foray in front of the cameras
Pijuán studied at the National School of Art (ENA) and graduated from the Higher Institute of Art (ISA).
On television he has participated in dramatizations such as An unexpected friendunder the direction of Richard Abella and Theorem under the direction of director Mariela López.
His first appearance in cinema was with the film Free Cuba by director Jorge Luis Sánchez in which he played the role of soldier Freddy and directed the child actors.
Later, under the direction of Ernesto Daranas, he joined the team of Sergio and Sergei as casting director and mainly as the coach of the child actress Aylin de la Caridad Rodríguez in the role of Mariana.
He participated for the first time as a host of The Beehive TVparticipation program, and also worked as a host of Dancing in Cuba 2.
The success of ‘Vivir del Cuento’‘
Pijuán is one of the recurring actors in the comedy Living off the Story, where he has transcended for his role as Isidoro (Consuelo’s son), a charismatic homosexual man.
On social media and in the streets of Cuba, the actor is praised by audiences for his antics with the character.
The program Living off the Story It emerged in September 2008 as a project that mixed interpretations of the stories with a story that developed during the course of the competition.
The main character is Pánfilo, a skinny and grumpy old man who, together with his friend Chequera, tries to figure out how to survive the increasingly difficult Cuban reality.
Isidoro was completely built by Pijuán
In a recent interview he said that the only thing that is not built by him is the name, but everything else is his creation.
As conveyed in the program Ale’s Podcastthere is a lot of work behind Isidoro. “I mean, Isidoro is old. So, I had to build everything behind him, everything in front of him. And his wardrobe has to have a justification.”
His time working on the character has made it evolve, he acknowledged, and there is a logical evolution in this, consistent with the idea he has created.
“I had my Isidoro process all along. If you look at the first Isidoro that came out since then, it has nothing to do with it. But they do have a logical connection. In other words, the first one is not the same as now. Because one evolves depending on the space, the context, the trust, the time,” he acknowledged.
Isidoro is a tribute
In the conversation for the Youtube program, Pijuan He expressed that his figure of Living off the Story It is a tribute to his friends.
“Isidore It is a tribute that I made, and make every day, to all the gay friends I have. I adore and admire them very much,” he revealed.
For this reason, he said, he respects his creation so much, whom he never dresses as a woman, because that has been a kind of stigma and marginalization for homosexual characters in humor.
“I think that as a society it is shit. What are you doing judging someone if they like men?”
“Isidoro is good, he is correct, he is nice, he is kind, he is polite. So, what does it have to do with him liking Albertos, Josés and Pepes? It makes no difference,” he said.
“I am not Isidoro”
The actor reiterated that he is different from the character he plays. Although he is related to Isidoro, it is a construction.
During the virtual conversation, she confirmed that, unlike her character, she is not attracted to people of the same sex. “That is the misunderstanding I have lived with.”
However, he was grateful that people associate him so much with his role in the comedy, a sign that he embodies it in a credible way.
“I really appreciate that people think I’m gay. I really appreciate it because the character comes out well. Because it’s the fruit of hard work,” he confessed.
Pijuán just got married
A few days ago, Marlon Pijuán got married and social networks and independent media immortalized the date.
With his partner, Claudia Vives, he formalized the union in a simple ceremony attended by his friends.
Apparently, his partner lives in Mexico, which is why the actor traveled to the Aztec country last year.
Pijuán has never lived in Miami
On one occasion last year, social media profiles spread rumors about the young actor’s alleged departure for Miami.
Various accounts reported that Pijuán was in Mexico with the goal of reaching the United States.
“Don’t believe everything the networks say,” was the actor’s statement following the various hypotheses about his life.
Shortly after, in a photo in front of José Martí Airport in Havana, the actor put an end to the unfounded rumor.
