There are stories that transcend the artistic and speak of courage, resilience and pure love for the vocation. Marta Gonzalez He is one of those figures who, even when facing adversity, never lost his passion.. He has been fighting cancer for more than two decades, and even so, he never stopped working. His energy and dedication became a trademark, both on stage and behind the cameras. About to turn 81, and in a present where the body demands pauses, but the heart always moves forwardrehearses every day as if it were the first, convinced that acting brought her back to life again and again. The artist, who was the protagonist of classics such as Little star, that poor peasant girl and Painted Mouthsadding more than 40 strips and 35 films, Marta puts the emphasis on theater. “The stage gives you life“, he summarizes when he speaks, exclusively, with Teleshow.
Since I was little, Marta knew what vertigo was and the miracle of the stage. His debut was in childhood and, since then, he found his true refuge on stage. Forged in the heat of the great names of theater and television, it went through decades of successes and challengesalways guided by a vocation that never went out. Each stage of her career was a school, between shocks and applause, leading her to become a beloved and respected presence by colleagues and the public alike. That same dedication and humility, cultivated from an early age, are today what sustain her and drive her to continue betting everything on the lively emotion of theater.
Today, Marta enjoys her work that has already been released.challenging routines, fatigue and limitations with that unbreakable will that defines her. And the emotion is twofold: Let’s negotiate… A love storywritten by Alicia Muñoz and directed by Ernesto Medela, raised the curtain on November 6, with his friend and colleague Rodolfo Ranniunder the production of Damián Sequeira. Even on tour, the actress appears grateful and whole: each performance is an act of faith and celebration, and each applause, a balm more powerful than any medicine.
In each performance of the tour, whether in Castelar, Francisco Álvarez or La Plata, Marta displays on stage that vitality that she told this medium about: choosing every day not to give in to fatigue, betting on art even when the body demands rest. The chemistry with Ranni, the shared laughter and the emotion of the encounters make each night more than a simple play: it is a live testimony that, as Marta says, “you can always start over”, regardless of the blows, age or diagnoses. About to shine in the Villa Carlos Paz season, her message and energy spread hope and admiration in every theater.
–How do you feel every time you go on stage?
-Happy. In that moment the pain and worry disappear; I just want to give the public what they came for.. It’s like entering an oasis. Irma Roy He said that actresses look younger because we spend so much time embodying other lives. and the clock is not ticking. It’s really true, and besides, the character I’m playing doesn’t have my illness, so on stage everything difficult is left behind, even if it’s just for a while.
–And on this occasion, what decided you to join this project with Tano Rani?
–It’s very crazy, because I didn’t really think about it much. Damián Sequeira called me, and because of Tano I said yes, without hesitation. I know he doesn’t do anything. I found a very special work and a very “new age” character.full of new energy. At first I thought: “Why did I get involved?”, but all of us actors go through that vertigo before going on stage. Then, as everyone says, the stage works its miracle.
–Do you find it difficult to combine work life with treatments and fatigue?
–Now yes. There are days when I am very tired. Today, for example, I had three phone calls, I went to the supermarket, and after lunch I had to take medication. For this job I asked my oncologistDr. Victoria Constanzo, to change the injectable chemo to oral because my veins could no longer resist; They are sold out. But oral treatment also makes me tired. I live dead of sleep. It may be due to the accumulation of treatments, it costs me day to day, but not under my arms.
–How do you experience the tour and travels of the work?
–with effort. This week, for example, we travel 380 kilometers to Esperanza. We had to add a show because the first one sold out in 20 minutes. I am very grateful to the public and also to my partner, Tano.because we make a good couple on stage and that shows when it comes to working. When you have an upright and talented actor next to you, you want to be better, as in life itself.
–Do you feel proud of the recognition at this stage of your career?
–In the season presentation in Carlos Paz I got very excited. The applause of colleagues, producers, directors, is the best reward. This whole world is my home, my life. That is the best reward for me: that your colleagues applaud you, not only as a good actress, but as a person. That’s what really matters
–Did your career as an actress become a form of therapy for you?
-Absolutely. The stage gives you life. Even the smallest thing, like bathing, putting on makeup, getting dressed, gives you the strength to get up. We often talk about it with Nora Carpena. If it weren’t for theater, radio or journalism, I would stay in bed… and that is the worst thing I can do. Passion lifts you up.
–Do you feel that this character is similar to you or does he make you reflect on deep themes, such as love or freedom?
–This character is at the opposite end of my life. After what I experienced with the death of my son, I have nothing to do with the romantic love of the work. But everything is within one, even the darkest; To compose a character is to search deep inside, to find even the most unexpected feeling in yourself. The commitment of the theater is enormous.
–Did you have to research or look for material to create the character?
–At this point I don’t need it, because life has already given me moments for everything.. Even memories as intense as giving birth… In the life of actors, sensations are saved and used on stage. I have been working for seventy years. I grew up in this world since and debuted at nine years old. Do you know who took me by the hand to that world? Gift Armando Discépoloa teacher, playwright, brother of Enrique Santos Discépoloauthor of “Mateo” and many other works. Imagine what it is like for a girl to be next to such an author and director, to learn from his hand.. That marked my path. I lived it all: television, film, entire seasons of touring, but the theater is the place where I always feel like I belong. Every time I go on stage, after so many years, I still feel the same nerves and the same excitement that I had as a girl.. And if there is something I treasure, it is the recognition of my colleagues.
–Do you have anything in common with your character on stage?
–Very little. It’s very yoga and energy, and I was never like that; I’m a shot in the air. What we do share is freedom: that desire to live differently every day. I am a Sagittarius, I hate routine, I always need new things.
–Who is your biggest bra today?
–Before each performance I ask the angels to come down and my son Leandro is always there. I also have a daughter, María Mercedeswho became my mother, my greatest support. Life changes your roles and you have to learn to let yourself be taken care of. She is an obstetrician, she is in charge of giving life every day, she brings children into the world. And, at some point, We do the same thing from different places: she helps give life to the people, and I try to give life to the characters.
–What message would you give today to someone who is going through an illness like yours?
–Let them not surrender, let them fight. I have been beating the disease for 24 years, and it is not a little. When they tell you that you have cancer, you think the worst. But you are not sick, you simply have an illness and you can fight it with God, doctors and, above all, love. The love of friends, grandchildren, children… Love heals everything. There are down days, days when it is difficult to get up, but you always have to fight it and try to get something useful even from what is difficult.
–What do you hope people take away when they go to see you in the theater?
–The hope. I notice that function by function. That One is always starting: every day is new, wonderful things can appear, even if one does not expect it. It’s hard, but you don’t have to give in.. That, I think, is the strongest message and what I most want to convey.
With each performance, Marta Not only does it renew its pact with the theater, but it confirms that true strength lies in not giving up and in encouraging yourself to continue dreaming.. His story makes it clear that passion and work continue to open doors, even when life presents new challenges every day. Between applause, anecdotes, challenges overcome and the warmth of her own testimony, the actress celebrates the art of living intensely and leaves, in each scenario, a certainty: it is always possible to start over and share hope with others.
Photo credit: @sequeiraproducciones and @agenciacoralok.
