Jorge Perugorría will be Dr. Portuondo in the new series that just finished filming in Spain

March 28, 2021

Jorge Perugorría has not stopped working during these times when work is sorely missed. Pichi does not stop, does not cease to get involved in short or long-term projects.

Right now, he has finished shooting a series in Spain. Yes, he has gone there to act despite the pandemic and all. It is a production based on an autobiographical book by Catalan writer Carlo Padial, which we could compare to the recognized style of Woody Allen.

The "kinship" is justified in the way of proceeding: Padial writes a memoir book full of ironies and intellectual subtleties; a Freudian book that he later decides to adapt to the screen. Dr. Portuondo now finds another life, beyond the shelf and the black and white of the pages.

Pichi has had to embody this mysterious and authentic psychoanalyst, whose Cuban origin gives greater appeal to the story. It's no joke: Dr. Juan Antonio Portuondo was a psychologist born on the Island in 1927, who emigrated after the sixties and traveled the world making his mark. A devotee of Freud, follower of John Rosen and Melanie Klein, and author of more than thirty books on psychoanalysis, this "Cuban" seems to have no waste.

The story, then, seems extremely attractive, since they are real people who temporarily assume fictional identities. Portuondo (Perugorría) and Padial (Nacho Sánchez) meet again several years later before millions of viewers.

"I came to this series by decision of its director, Carlo Padial, who decided to adapt his acclaimed book to the format of a television series. They contacted me and sent the script of the series to Havana. I read it. Then Carlo called me and I confessed to him how much I liked the story and the character of Portuondo. And, of course, I told him he could count on me for that project," the actor explained.

It is a very interesting story, based on an autobiographical book. Padial wrote his memoirs with a certain psychoanalyst over five years. The book, as well as the series, focuses on the relationship between them, which becomes very deep.

It narrates the influence that Dr. Portuondo has on Carlo's life; the way he leads him to rediscover himself and to perceive reality differently. From that great experience the text emerges.

Padial is a very exposed man. He is a kind of Catalan Woody Allen. In the sense that he interprets all situations of reality under a certain irony and very fine humor. Padial is an intellectual and a very brave man, who exposes us to his personal universe and his experiences through this series.

How has it been to shoot outside of Cuba and under the current condition of social distancing?
Imagine, this situation complicates everything. It has been a very particular shoot. Every time we arrive they take our temperature, give us new masks. Every week we get a PCR test. In short, everything is conditioned by this situation.

We can barely socialize as before. We must follow a protocol made to prevent any mishap that could halt the shooting of the series.

In general it's quite strange. But the important thing is that we are working under these circumstances, that we are creating despite the situation that exists.

I think people need a series like this, where psychoanalysis is the center of everything. In addition to being entertaining, this series proposes an internal, individual review. So it seems to me to be tremendously relevant according to current times. Especially to fight against stress.

The series is produced by Filmin, a platform with great prestige within European auteur cinema. It is the first time it has produced an audiovisual of this kind.

This platform has a very interesting catalog of films, which emphasizes content, the paths that auteur cinema takes. And in that sense there is great expectation regarding this series we are shooting. It supposes for all a great challenge to be at the aesthetic and artistic level of Filmin.

It is estimated that it will air in Spain in October of this year. And for Cuba, well, we would have to rely on the speed of the package.

There are many projects in the works for Perugorría. One of the best is that something is being prepared around Mario Conde, a character with whom I identify a lot and whom I consider among the best of my career. Like Diego, also coming from literature, Conde has stayed with me and I feel grateful for having brought him to life. So, a new season of Mario Conde is being prepared for next year.