MIGUEL DE LEÓN

The Spanic-De León home is very delightful because of its castle-shaped form.  Gabriela Spanic, "La Usurpadora", and her husband, Miguel de León, talk about what it means to them to have filmed one of the most famous telenovelas ever.  Actually, Venezuelan Gaby lives in Mexico and already has a contract with the Televisa consortium to do several more projects.

Roles in two different novelas is what Miguel de León is working on.  One as millionaire Douglas in "La Usurpadora" and the other as Andrea Lagunes' real father in "Gotita de Amor".

To what do you attribute "La Usurpadora"'s success to, Gabriela?
GABRIELA:  First of all, to the multi-star cast such as Enrique Elizalde, Libertad Lamarque, Chantal Andere, Fernando Colunga; to the script by Carlos Romero, writer of all of Televisa's big hits; to the producer Salvador Mejía, who innovated many things... because even though it's a rose-colored telenovela, it has its own unique style; and to the behind-the-scenes atmosphere, because there was a lot of camaraderie and no sense of rivalry.

To achieve that success, don't you feel you were the one that attracted the most attention?
GABRIELA:  I was unknown in Mexico even though I already had a career in Venezuela.

Thalía had been the one considered for the leading role in this novela?
GABRIELA:  In the beginning, she was going to do it.

What was your career like before "La Usurpadora"?
GABRIELA:  I had worked in a total of seven novelas but the most important one was "Como Tú Ninguna".  That's where I met Miguel; that's where I fell head-over-heels in love.

What do you have to say, Miguel, about the meeting between you two?
MIGUEL:  We lived a novela-like story within the novela [we were filming].  We had to make very drastic decisions in our lives.  Both of us had relationships with other persons and it was very difficult to get together.  We broke off with our respective partners and after one month, we initiated our relationship:  two years of going steady and a year and a half of marriage.

Of the two roles you played in "La Usurpadora", which one do you identify with the most, Gabriela?
GABRIELA:  With neither.  Paulina is too generous, too good, to the point that they do things in front of her face and she doesn't even notice.  Paola is very Maquiavelian.  She doesn't care whom she hurts and she steps over anyone, even her own sister, to obtain her objectives.  Besides, she likes to go out with several men at the same time and that has nothing to do with me because I'm a person with both feet on the ground, very clear on what I want; everything has its limit.

How did you select this role?  Did you read the script beforehand?
GABRIELA:  What happens is that a great Venezuela actress did the novela several years ago.  It was a novela that received a lot of attention; plus they've also done it here too [in Mexico] with Angélica María because it's like a classic of telenovelas.  I was interested in it because it's a double role.  Besides, I'm a twin in real life and in the Venezuelan novela, "Como Tú Ninguna", towards the end, I likewise played a double role.  Also, Mexico is like the "Hollywood" of telenovelas.  Anyone would give their right arm to work in Mexico, especially being a woman, because there's a shortage of leading men throughout all of Latin America but not of leading ladies.

Why did you come to Mexico, Miguel?
MIGUEL:  In the beginning, because I was accompanying Gabriela.  I was coming to relax because I had done seven telenovelas simultaneously in Venezuela and I wanted to take a year-long break.  But when they started filming "La Usurpadora", the producer suggested a role in the novela, that of millionaire Douglas Maldonado and I decided to accept it even though I was unknown here [in Mexico].

But you were the one that was the really big star in Venezuela.
MIGUEL:  Well, yes.  I was the one who had the longest career at the time.  In Venezuela, I had already starred in four novelas.

Were you expecting the success this telenovela has achieved?
GABRIELA:  In the beginning, people thought I had appeared from nowhere and that I had never worked [in telenovelas before].  But I definitely never thought it would be this successful.  Never.  The truth:  never.

Is it difficult to come [to Mexico] as a prince consort, Miguel?
MIGUEL:  No, it's not difficult.  What is meant to come, will come.  Everyone has their destiny; the key lies in that destiny.  You have to search for it.

Did the press label you as an usurper, Gaby?
GABRIELA:  No, because I believe each one has an opportunity in their life and if something comes your way it's because it's for you.  I believe actors are international.  In Hollywood, there are Englishmen, Frenchmen making films for a global audience.

But you complained in Venezuela that they had treated you like an usurper.  How much of it was true?
GABRIELA:  They called me the usurper... but affectionately.  What happened is that several Mexican leading ladies were in disagreement over my coming [to Mexico] and playing the lead role in the novela.  They declared so in a magazine.  They asked me about it in Venezuela and the story got back [to Mexico] in the form of gossip but it's not true.
Who were the actresses?
GABRIELA:  Those who agreed [with my being here in Mexico] were Adela Noriega and Gaby Rivero.

And against?
GABRIELA:  According to the magazine writer:  Victoria Ruffo, Angélica Rivero, Michelle Vieth, Kate del Castillo.  They also said anyone could have done a better job.

Is it hard to work with one's wife?
MIGUEL:  It's not hard but it is very odd to work with one's wife and to view her as a different person.  It's phenomenal working together.  We have the same schedule, we always get to see each other and we never separate.