She was contacted directly by director David Sherman to join the adventure, and after having a long conversation with him, she decided she wanted to be a part of “My Penguin Friend,” the heartwarming family film that opens this weekend in a large number of local theaters.
In the film, Adriana Barraza plays Maria, the wife of João Perei de Souza, a real-life Brazilian fisherman who caused an international sensation due to the peculiar relationship he established with a seabird from Argentine Patagonia.
Despite the considerable distances he had to travel (about 5,000 miles) over the course of a decade, the animal (which humans named Dindim) moved punctually each summer from his natural habitat to an island outside Rio de Janeiro, drawn by a sense of connection that continues to surprise the most serious biologists.
“When David sent me the script, I started researching on YouTube and found a beautiful story full of meaning that fascinated me, because I love animals,” the experienced Mexican actress told us during a recent interview. “All my scenes were done in Brazil, including [la municipalidad de] You live y [el pueblo de] Paraty”.
Barraza had a particularly good time in Ubatuba, where the house that represented the De Souzas’ home was located. “It gave me the chance to walk every day, because you had to walk through the jungle for about 15 minutes to get there,” he recalled. “And once you did, the jungle gave way to a very rough, strong and noisy Atlantic ocean. It was an absolutely enriching experience.”
Languages and scopes
There was another important reason for Barraza to say yes to Schurmann: the hiring of the famous French actor of Spanish descent Jean Reno (“Léon: The Professional”) to play the role of João. “It was extremely important for me to be able to work with an actor that I admire so much, of course,” she acknowledged. “During the filming, we spoke mainly in Spanish, because Jean speaks it perfectly, since he was actually born in Spain.”
Despite this, all the dialogue in the film is in English, even in the scenes in Patagonia – actually shot in Patagonia – which feature Argentine characters and actors. “One has to understand that this is due to the need to reach a large audience, precisely because the English language and the North American industry are what give us the possibility of extending the reach of our product,” Barraza continued. “I have no problem with doing my job this way.”
Whatever the case, the Latin participation in the film reached all levels, including the direction, because despite having a name that sounds Anglo-Saxon, Schurmann is a filmmaker of Brazilian origin who has had a very interesting life, because since he was a child he traveled the entire planet with his family. “What happened to him deserves to be captured in another film,” said our interviewee.
In terms of cast, apart from Reno and Barraza, we have the Colombian infant Juan José Garnica in the role of the De Souza son, the Brazilian actress and singer Thalma de Freitas as an inhabitant of the fishing village and the Argentines Alexia Moyano, Nicolás Francella and Rocío Hernández as members of a marine research team.
The participation of the Gauchos extended to the complicated task of training the penguins, entrusted to the expert Fabián Gabelli. “It is something very nice, and what makes me most happy is that, having done it the way we did, we have managed to have it released in more than 2,500 theaters in the United States,” Barraza said proudly.
Reality and inspiration
“My Penguin Friend” is inspired by a real case, but it does not exactly reproduce what happened, starting with the fact that the De Souzas are presented as a couple who are deeply affected by the accidental death of their little son, which happened several years before Dindim’s arrival.
“I developed the character based exclusively on the story of the Maria I was to portray and what had happened to her according to the script,” explained our interviewee. “I asked myself: How does this woman behave and feel after what happened to her?”
When Dindim appears in João and Maria’s lives, he unwittingly establishes an immediate connection with the former, because he comes from the sea and reminds him in some way of his son. “But, for Maria, it’s a ‘bore’,” Barraza told us. “However, little by little, she begins to understand that her husband is having the chance to soften her heart again and that this little animal is giving them the opportunity to be a couple again.”
The actress, nominated for an Oscar for her compelling role in “Babel” (2006), does not work by delving into her own experiences, but rather uses her imagination and the acting techniques at her disposal to approach characters that may have nothing to do with her.
“Human beings have the ability to use any kind of emotion, because we have experienced many things,” explained the actress. “But the joke in our case – that of the actors – is the way we have of expressing those emotions and putting all our emotional background at the service of the character.”
“I have already lived through a lot and have been with many people who have lost their children, whether they were small, about to be born or very old,” she continued. “I have been with very old people who have just lost their children, and I am aware of the immense pain that such a loss causes at any age.”
The actress in a recent promotional image.
(Enrique Tubio)
A very special meeting
Like Reno, Barraza had to work with the 10 penguins who joined the filming to play Dindim, which required additional training on his part.
“Well, inside the house, we had three that were smaller and had a very gentle character, because the bigger ones were the ones that went into the sea and did the more physical scenes,” the actress specified. “From the moment the penguins approached the set, we all had to keep absolutely silent so as not to disturb them, because, after all, they are wild animals.”
“This gave us the opportunity to remember that we must have respect for Nature and the beings that inhabit it,” she added. “There was a beautiful mystique every time we did a scene with them. It felt like a gift.”
Barraza says she grew fond of the three penguins she had around her, although she says there was one in particular that she felt most comfortable with. “We could touch him more, and when you looked at him, he looked back at you,” she said. “I even asked permission to enter his sanctuary, although everything was done very carefully and with the presence of the trainer.”
The eminent actress is convinced that “My Penguin Friend” can be beneficial for the audience, and in more ways than one. “I would love for the audience to be able to sensitize their hearts to such a beautiful event as the one presented in the film, but I would also love for them to, after doing so, think about what they can do to try to preserve our planet, even if it is something that seems insignificant, like putting away the trash and not throwing it on the street,” she concluded.
