Mariana Treviño, from the Mexican tables to co-star in 'A grumpy neighbor' with Tom Hanks

The actress Mariana Treviño with Tom Hanks at the presentation of 'A grumpy neighbor' in London (United Kingdom), on December 16.TOLGA AKMEN (EFE)

The name of Mariana Treviño is not alien to memory.

It may not click the first time for some, but when mentioning characters like Isabel Iglesias, protagonist in the four seasons of

(2015);

or Jenny Quetzal in

(2018) or his two Ariel Award nominations for his performances in

and

, the mental puzzle is no longer an unknown quantity and makes a lot of sense.

In case another title was missing to recognize his career, now his face accompanies Tom Hanks's in all the promotional material for

, a film that opens throughout the Mexican territory as of this December 25.

Treviño (Monterrey, 45 years old) studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse Theater School, in New York City, and at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

It was in the United States where she began her professional career in the theater, participating in works such as

,

and

.

However, his discovery would not come until 2009, after his participation in the musical

, a work in which he appeared for more than 1,000 performances, in which he also caught the attention of the filmmaker Manolo Caro, making the leap to the cinema and becoming a a recurring actress in his filmography, participating in up to seven of his productions, including

(2018).

Treviño, in a call with EL PAÍS, admits that he did not believe it when they told him that he would co-star in a film with Tom Hanks and under the direction of Marc Forster (

, 2006, and

, 2018).

She says it was like a "surreal" experience at first, but then she had to come down to earth, do a good job, as honestly as possible.

“I started filming thinking about all my experience that I have collected and that helps me to put together a character that is honest, that has truth, that can tell the story that it has to tell.

Marc holds back emotionally, but he opens up a space for you to be yourself, express yourself, and, obviously, imagine the experience of Tom Hanks, who always works from a very intimate and true place, ”says the actress.

Tom Hanks and Mariana Treviño in a scene from 'A Grumpy Neighbor'.c (Dennis Mong)

The film, second screen adaptation of the novel

(2012, Debolsillo) —by Fredrik Backman— and which opens on January 13 in the rest of Latin America and the US, presents the story of Otto Anderson (Hanks), a curmudgeonly and very obstinate widower.

When a cheerful young family moves in next door, he finds a match for him in the quick-witted and heavily pregnant Marisol (Treviño), leading to a highly unlikely friendship that will turn his world upside down. .

The Monterrey-born interpreter says that the chemistry with Hanks on set was "surprisingly good", since at times she questioned whether she would be able to rise to the challenge, but, according to her account, the characters in the story begin to get closer and love without realizing it, they then followed this process from fiction to acting, working towards the other in order to connect.

“The challenge was to be emotionally open, because what happens between the characters goes beyond what is rational.

You have to watch the scenes, study them a lot, and know what you're acting out.

Knowing what is the force that is behind and below, what is not seen, but your character has to show.

It is what we try to make visible, ”she adds.

foray into hollywood

Treviño had previously been in another Hollywood production, playing the sister of Eugenio Derbez's character in

(2018), but it wasn't until her experience in

that she managed to take that first step in the mecca of cinema along with other of her compatriots who were more aggressive in that industry.

Like Diego Luna —the protagonist of

, or more recently Tenoch Huerta and Mabel Cadena in

actress

, Marisol is a character who complements the virtues of Mexicans and Latinos, aspects to which she considers it important to give value and visibility.

He says that Marisol arrives with a chaotic energy, a loving family nucleus that extends its arm and cares about the one in front, without calculations, or interests.

“Latin American warmth has a very important role, since it makes the other reconnect with their own sense of love, with their own sense of life again.

I love that Latin Americans and Mexicans are recognized, their benevolent contribution based on their idiosyncrasies and that they can have very nice contributions to improve the societies where they arrive”, Treviño specifies.

With more than thirty productions to his credit, Treviño has forged his career based on effort.

The results have recently been seen in his first leading role together with Ilse Salas for the telenovela

with Telemundo

or her first solo star in the series

an original production from the Paramount+ streaming catalogue.

She says she is grateful for this moment in her career and for how the elements came together for this golden opportunity to arise.

“The career of artists implies a lot of emotional ups and downs, a lot of sacrifice.

The raw material of acting is yourself and what you feel, your soul, your vision of life, that's what you work with.

It can be a lonely journey at times and getting to this Hollywood project with Tom and Marc is a dream come true at a point later in my career,” reflects the actress.

Despite currently being in Los Angeles, with her mind only on promoting

, the actress is not indifferent to the complications that Mexican cinema and culture are currently experiencing.

He sees a lack of awareness and support for culture in the recent announcement announcing the suspension of the 2023 Ariel Awards. “It is a very important platform [the Ariel Awards] in which we see ourselves, reflect on our national and cultural reality.

It is very important to be able to continue counting on these mirrors so that we grow in awareness, in self-observation and that our cultural heritage remains over time ”, she concludes.

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