Yes, yes, totally. When we had to shoot some of the scenes that were hard for Agresti, we were all very touched.
Were there a lot of scenes it was tough for Agresti to make it through?
I think he handled himself very well but some of the scenes were very hard. He played his own father and he yelled at the boy – that was kind of hard, that scene for him. We were all very respectful and quiet on the set to let him concentrate.
When you’re working on a serious movie like this, is the atmosphere usually pretty solemn?
It depends. Sometimes we were having fun and joking around. There was a kid on the set so he was like playing with the crew and joking around. But sometimes we had to concentrate. It depends on the scenes we were shooting. But we did have fun shooting this film, totally (laughing).
What was it like working with Rodrigo Noya? What was it like working opposite someone so young?
It was great. When I first read the script, I thought, “I have to do all these scenes with an eight year-old boy. What’s it going to be like? Is he going to get nervous and forget the lines?” When I met Rodrigo, everything changed because he was natural and he wasn’t nervous at all when he had to act. He’s very smart and it was great working with him. When we were not on the set or when we were not shooting, we were playing and joking together to create this relationship and to make it easier to go to the set. He’s just great. He’s the movie and he’s great.
Did you offer Rodrigo any acting tips or advice?
No, the director was doing that. The actors don’t want to talk about that because he was seven when we shot this film and if everyone was talking and giving him advice, it’s going to confuse him. It was better that the director was the only one who talked to him about the acting scenes.
Do you ever have any hesitation working with a child actor?
No, I don’t mind. I don’t have any problem working with kids. I’m very happy that I’ve done the film with him.
This movie has been doing really well at film festivals. What are the types of responses you’ve been getting from audiences?
This movie opened in Argentina last September and they loved the movie. It was a huge success. Then this movie opened in New York and they were very emotional. I went to festivals in the States with this movie. I was worried because you have to read subtitles and it’s a very Argentine movie in a way, and everyone loves the movie. They were crying and getting very emotional with the movie. Then I understood it’s a movie that everyone can understand. It talks about feelings and family and although it happens in Buenos Aires and they talk about things in Buenos Aires, it’s a very universal film because it talks about feelings.
Is that what attracted you to the script?
Yes, it is. It was a very emotional feel, the script. I just loved the script the first time I read the script. When Alejandro called me, he told me, “I have this script. Please read the script and tell me if you want to do the picture.” I read the script and I was crying, the first time I read the script. I was like, “Totally. I want to be in this movie. I want to play this character.” I think it’s an excellent script.
Is it tough to transition from TV shows to feature films, and which do you like to do better?
We don’t have this difference in Argentina. I know that in the States if you are an actress or an actor, if you act in movies you don’t do film so much – or vice versa. We don’t have this big, big film industry in Argentina. So most of the actors do soap operas, too, in Argentina. Soap operas don’t last 10 years, they last six or seven months. Of course, not all of the actors do movies but most of the actors do soap operas. I started doing soap operas and now I’m doing movies because I don’t have time to do both things. I like to start doing movies and I’m very glad I got to choose to do movies.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
"Valentin" Photo Gallery
"Valentin" Credits and Trailer
