like her favorite Hollywood actress
cast. The only person she’d talk to
Bette Davis, bore straight into an audi-
was Leilo. She wanted to feel Marina’s
ence. They’re at once intimating and
alienation. During the scene where
transparent. You can see right through
Marina is forced to strip naked for the
her even when her characters are act-
cops, she struggled to keep hold of
ing tough. Learning to use them took
her emotions, in part because it was
practice—she likens it to trying to hit a
nearly 100 degrees outside, but just
high note—but once she had the idea,
steps inside the morgue, it was freez-
“I took advantage of it as best I could.”
ing cold. In the final take, she looks
Those eyes might be the key to her Academy Award chances. After all, she’s a Spanish-speaking actress in a
frozen from the inside out, her spine a column of ice. Lelio wanted to make a film about
Spanish-speaking film. Voters stuck
the social issues of modern day Chile.
reading subtitles might not be able to
But he didn’t want to make a social
catch the details in her line delivery. But
problem film, the kind of naturalistic
A Fantastic Women’s AFI premiere. So
everything Marina feels—the hurt, the
realism that can feel hectoring and
love is like yesterday’s newspaper”—
is Vega, herself. At 17, she transitioned
anger, the pride—is there on her face.
dull. He gives the worst three days
turns out to be prophetic. Fifteen
right before she graduated from high
Vega met Lelio over Skype. After fin-
minutes into the film, after dinner and
school. Her parents were supportive,
ishing his festival hit Gloria, another por-
shooting whole scenes in red and
dancing and a romantic nightcap in
but it wasn’t easy. “Latin America is
trait of a Chilean woman who refuses to
magenta. The key image of the film
his apartment, where Marina has only
very religious,” notes Vega. “The Pope is
fit in a box (which he’s currently remak-
is a shot of Marina at her absolute
recently unpacked her things, Orlando
from Argentina.”
ing in English with Julianne Moore), he
lowest; an expressionist scene where
started to think about a love story that
the actress walks headlong into a
DANCER Daniela Vega in A Fantastic Woman.
But the lyric Marina croons—“Your
dies. The panicked girlfriend rushes him
Post-transition, Vega spent that
of Marina’s life a dramatic flourish,
to the hospital where the nurses are
first year in bed. She was depressed,
starts with a death. At first, he was
hurricane-level wind that whittles her
polite and call her “miss” and “ma’am”,
and when she’d rally herself to go out-
interested in grief and goodbyes. Then,
into an unbowed diagonal line. Buster
until suddenly they stop.
side and get a job, she was continually
he considered making the lead female
Keaton would cheer.
rejected in a country with no legal pro-
transgender. Lelio didn’t think he knew
fact causes the doctors and police to
tections. (In 2016, Chile finally passed a
enough to write the character on his
its heart, a story about love. And love
demote her from grieving partner to
law prohibiting workplace discrimina-
own, so a friend introduced him to Vega
springs into view whenever it can, as in
prime suspect. Is she a prostitute? Did
tion on the basis of sexual orientation
as a cultural advisor.
a fantasy dance number where Marina
she and Orlando have a fight? Can she
or gender identity.)
Marina is transgender. That one
strip naked to prove she isn’t bruised? As for Orlando’s estranged family,
“I really love my city,” insists Vega
The two spent a year crouched over
Above all, A Fantastic Woman is, at
bursts into the air in a gold tinsel jacket.
their laptops talking about the screen-
When she and Orlando kiss at a night-
of her hometown, Santiago. Even
play, and when it was finished, Lelio
club, the image swirls with disco lights
they kick Marina out of her home, for-
so, she adds, “Trans individuals have
realized he’d written the part for her.
and rainbow colors. Yet, the film’s most
bid her from attending the funeral—for
always lived on the edge of society,”
But Vega had to think about it. Starring
emotional moment is when Marina
the grandchildren’s sakes, of course—
and despite her family’s encourage-
in this film by this major local director
goes to her third job as, yes, an opera
and steal her dog. When she demands
ment, she was in danger of slipping
would put her at the center of Chile’s
singer. She stands onstage in front of
human respect, she’s accused of
off the cliff. Then her dad suggested
conversation about LGBTQ rights. After
a paying crowd and for the first time
selfishness, pinned against walls, and
she enroll in cosmetology school, and
three days, she said yes.
in the movie, you see people treat her
worse. Even Orlando’s kindest brother,
Vega’s interest in makeup and hair
the one who takes care to call her “the
turned into to an interest in theater,
essential about making a movie where
young lady,” would rather she just go
which turned into her first film offer.
you have that time to be able to cre-
away. (Vega’s script illustrates how
A Fantastic Woman has hoisted the
ate the script,” says Vega. “That’s how
Santiago theaters for three months.
people, even the callous female detec-
28-year-old actress into a moment
the script became alive.”
“Because it was in theaters for so long,
tive assigned from the Sexual Preda-
of global recognition which brings her
She built the character from the
tors Unit who promises to “understand
closer than anyone to becoming the
center out of her own experiences, and
open a dialogue in Chile’s society sur-
and support” Marina, can say the right
first trans performer nominated for a
from pieces of women she personally
rounding transgender individuals,” says
things, but act all wrong.)
Best Actress Oscar.
knew. Vega didn’t want to model her
Vega with pride. “That’s my biggest
acting career on icons like Marilyn Mon-
desire as an artist.”
Through the trauma, Vega keeps
When Vega started acting onstage,
“There is something beautiful and
with respect. That’s Vega’s real voice. And it’s gorgeous. A Fantastic Woman played in
what the movie accomplished is to
her character’s head high. She’ll cry
an early teacher told her to find out
roe and Audrey Hepburn—she wanted
alone, crumpling to the ground in a
what made her unique—and the
to construct an original, authentic
announced that she wants to play
bathroom stall. But in public, she’s
answer had to be artistic, not biologi-
design. Marina is her own independent
every kind of character from a pregnant
polite, quiet and calm, even when the
cal. She’d started asking herself that
woman, a girl who doesn’t wear a lot
woman to a man. But now that her
dead man’s family calls her a “fucking
question years before as a child opera
of makeup and enjoys wearing casual
dreams are closer to reality, she shyly
monster” and dismisses their love as
singer—Vega has been a powerful
leather jackets. Sometimes her hair is
hedges her bets. “My ego is not as big
“perversion”. Her inner strength only
mezzo-soprano since she was 8.
messy. She’s real.
to think that I know what kind of future
makes the jerks look weak.
“Every single singer starts off imitat-
Still, the shoot wasn’t always easy.
In the past, Vega’s boldly
is going to be ahead of me.” As Marina
“She is a woman with a lot of dig-
ing other singers,” says Vega. But great
On the day Marina tracks down her
sings in her first number, “Headlines
nity, resilience, and rebellion,” says Vega
singers discover their own voice. What
lover’s corpse to say farewell, Vega
filled the front page, so you’re known
through a translator in Los Angeles for
Vega discovered was her eyes, which,
hid herself away from the rest of the
everywhere.” ★
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1213 - First Take - Opener - Daniela Vega.indd 4
12/8/17 3:23 PM
