Walter Mercado: "I am not a legend." Netflix releases a documentary about the astrologer

The legend of Walter Mercado, the man behind the cloak 2:50

(CNN Spanish) - Known for his extravagant capes, his jewelry and above all for his famous phrase "And that they receive from me, much, much love", which gives its name to the documentary that Netflix presents to know who he was, how he became in the popular phenomenon and achieved success as an astrologer and the decline of his career.

Cristina Costantini and Kareem Tabsch acted as the directors, while Alex Fumero was the producer and each of them, grew up seeing Walter with his grandmothers to listen to horoscopes every afternoon: “The three of us grew up seeing Walter with the grandmothers. In a certain way it begins in our childhood, the fascination with this magician who appeared on the television every day. As adults, we realized the impact it had, especially on Latin American television. When I first met Kareem, the first thing we talked about was Walter. He was going to go to a cape sale and I asked him if he would like to make a documentary about Walter Mercado. And I told him that he was offering me as a producer and when we put the first call together, 30 minutes before Cristina called me, with whom I had already worked, and told me that she knew that she was obsessed with Walter and that she wanted to make a film about him. So we talked on the phone, "says Alex Fumero.

This documentary talks about the life of Walter Mercado Salinas, who was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on March 9, 1932. It addresses the issue of his beginnings in the artistic world and how he started giving horoscopes in his native Puerto Rich. Walter Mercado broke schemes and never cared what people said or thought about him. He always avoided the topic of sexuality and even claimed that "I am like Dorian Gray".

"I am a fortune teller, but I do not like to know my future, I just want to enjoy every moment of my life", words with which Walter Mercado closes the documentary "Much, Much Love: The legend of Walter Mercado". (photo courtesy of Netflix)

According to Netflix, "Walter reached over 120 million viewers at his peak, captivating the world with his sequin capes, opulent jewelry, and horoscopes that spread a message of love and faith to his devoted followers."

Actors Eugenio Derbez and Lin-Manuel Miranda appear in this documentary. Eugenio talks about how it was that he relied on Mercado to create the character “Julio Esteban” who gave the horoscopes in the program “Al derecho y al Derbez”. For his part, Lin-Manuel Miranda personally expressed his admiration for him, and even told him how, as a boy, he sat with his grandmother to listen to horoscopes.

LIn-Manuel Miranda expressed his admiration to Walter Mercado saying that he would sit with his grandmother to see the horoscopes, since she was a Sagittarius and he was a Capricorn. (Photo courtesy of Netflix)

Walter Mercado says in the documentary that he used astrology to motivate people and even defines himself as "a fortune teller, but I don't like knowing my future, I just want to enjoy every moment of my life."

Pop Zone
They lived with Walter Mercado for two years and in the months before he died. What were they left with?

Cristina Costantini
During this period, he became a member of our family, He was a fabulous grandmother. I told her he was the same age as her and the same fabulous haircut. He became a friend and family member during the process of making the documentary. Every day he trusted us more and with this trust we could show the most intimate world of Walter, the man behind the mask. In the documentary, people will be able to see who Walter was, without the makeup, without the cape and without the jewelry. We can show your most intimate moments.

Popular phenomenon

"People expect one to die to become a legend. I am not a legend ”- Walter Mercado

For his part, Kareem Tabsch assures that Walter was more than a popular icon: “We use the word icon when we refer to Walter. But he was more than an icon in many ways. We cannot remember a time when Walter did not exist in popular culture or on television. He realizes the level of fame he achieved, but he did not realize what he represented to viewers and fans. He was more than a horoscope and an astrologer, he was a pioneer who shared the message that one should live life as one wants, to have self-esteem, to be authentic and the most important thing in life, it was not what one believed, the most important thing is that one should live life with love, for oneself and for one's neighbor, he knew that this was his message and what he left not only in us, but in the whole world ”.

Cristina, Kareem and Alex captured Walter's last two years, when he struggled with aging, his legacy and how he prepared for his latest celebrity-filled show.

You don't have to be a fan of Walter Mercado to watch this documentary. You can meet the man behind the legend of the current pop world who changed the lives of many people. It not only caused admiration in the Hispanic world, it was also a phenomenon in the Anglo world. The documentary “Much Much Love: The Legend of Walter Mercado” opens worldwide on Wednesday, July 8 on the Netflix platform.

PopWalter Market Zone Screen