What makes Leticia Calderon so charming? Perhaps what makes this question difficult is that we have to opt for only one of her many attributes. There are no discrepancies when we refer to the green eyed woman who is loved in far away regions, that has become an emblem, not only in Mexico, but in all of Latin America.
By NOL CIRENE MOLINA

With or without the job pressures, the opportunity to meet with her on three occasions during the last eighteen months reveals that Leticia Calderon is a charm if you approach her the right way.
With a smile, involved in the conversation and willing to open up to us, the actress who after 16 years in the business saw her dream realized thanks to her interpretation of "Esmeralda" has no problem being herself, admitting that amongst one of her biggest dreams the first time she went near Televisa was to get autographs from her favorite stars.
Now it is her turn to sign autographs, and she is doing just that! She holds special memories of Slavonia, the first country that treated her like a goddess. After that she was a big hit in Poland, Hungary and Greece, causing such furor that even today it astonishes her.
-I love to travel, I have been to many wonderful countries. It's incredible what the people can give you through a note, a look, a small gift... it is very gratifying to know that they want your autograph, to know that they want you to remember them because of a small gesture.
-What is the nicest gift you have received from an admirer?
-I have gotten very beautiful things, paintings, crosses, wines, rings, earings... all the gifts have been very nice. I would have never thought to give my favorite actor a small travel bag or a manicure set, these are gifts I get and I am thankful for because I did not have them before but were there when I needed them. I save everything, including looks and smiles as these are very special to me. Well, maybe I shouldn't say too much about this, but everyone who has approached me and left me their address I have wrote them. I sent so many autographed pictures out that I swear my hand was hurting.
And just out of curiosity, did they send you any green items?
-Well a large majority of the gifts were that color, I wonder why? (laughs). I have a lot of green clothes left from "Esmeralda". Fortunately for me I started to like it, honestly. As you can see, I did my bathroom green, and now I like the trees, I love the countryside. Naturally I try not to buy clothes in that color because I already have a lot of them, and people are always giving me more.
-What do you do to deserve such affection?
-The truth is that I don't really know, I believe feelings transcend the screen and they connect us. The first time I traveled I went to Slavonia and I was very impressed. I never had so many people waiting for me, so many fans, so many flowers... They wanted to see "Esmeralda", the character, but I arrived instead. I'm just a normal person who suffers, cries sings, works and is happy just like everybody else. The best thing is that they accepted me, I didn't have to assume a role.
-Do you like airplanes?
-I love them, fortunately for me I love to travel. Ordinarily before boarding a plane I don't have to wear make up, I wear comfortable clothes, I take a book to read and I talk to my travel companion. What do I do in a 13 hour flight? Mmmm, I talk, watch movies, sleep like a baby... It's like a good time to rest.
-How do you prepare yourself for the landing? Doesn't it make you nervous to know that at the airports hundreds of fans, reporters and television cameras await you?
-No. I take a deep breath, I relax and of course before I go on stage I touch up my make up a bit. Fortunately for me I have never liked wearing too much face make up, therefore I don't need two hours to look beautiful.
TALK ABOUT FAN MANIA
Her career began 16 years ago when she was called for a casting to do "Chispita". Her rivals in the final decision were Nailea Norvind, Mariana Levy and Lucero. She didn't get the role, instead she enrolled inTelevisa's drama school and not for the purpose of making a career in show business..
-I gladly accepted because I knew I was going to have the opportunity to get autographs from all the actors there, it was my dream. I must admit that sometimes I would skip classes just to watch how telenovelas were filmed. I saw it as a hobby, and still do. Naturally, once you become a professional, with it comes responsibility and the ethics that a career requires. For me, this is a joy. I'ts like playing games and getting paid for it.
-What did you do with the autographs?
-I saved them. Luis Miguel's autograph was the most impressive one I got. When I came to Mexico City I saw how the fans would yell with Menudo, because I was already a part of Televisa I would go to their dressing rooms very cool like, truthfully I did not understand why everyone yelled. I was never an obsessed fan, maybe that's why we became friends, I honestly did not realize how famous they were. But with Luismi it was different, I was impressed to see everybody just taking pictures of him, so even if I did not know him I was able to get close and take a picture with him and get his autograph which became my most treasured posession. Somewhere there I have one from Hector Bonilla, from los Chamos, from Eduardo Palomo...
-Is it your time to be famous? What is the best thing about fame?
-The good thing about being famous are the perks. You get the special treatment from everyone in restaurants, airports, banks, etc... that's the only fun part. The rest I don't recommend. You loose sight of your life and surroundings, you become a hermit. People believe you are a star and therefore you are unreachable. It's hard for people to understand that you are not an alien nor a robot, that you have feelings like everyone else.
-A normal person, the difference is that people ask you for autographs...
-For me it's stimulating. The only time it bothers me is when people ask when I am eating or working. The first reason is obvious, and the second reason is because if I show up late to the set I get reprimanded, they say that you arrive late because you feel you are too good but what they don't realize is that since you stepped out of the dressing room people have been asking for autographs. I have respect for the people I work with, who work so hard and so many hours. After we finish I feel very satisfied. I value people's time and affection.
-Perhaps you understand what a fan feels. Did you ask a friend to do a concert over the phone?
-Yesss!!!, who told you? You see I had another engagement, and I wanted to see Amaury Gutierrez and Francisco Cespedes, I love their songs. A friend of mine did me the favor and put them on the phone. I was at a restaurant at a reunion, I would excuse myself to the ladies room and stay there singing (laughs). I like concerts, I like to watch the artist's transformation on stage. To know that a lot of people are singing your songs must be very emotional. A song can send so many messages...
-Would you write songs?
-I don't even know how to write letters, I always start them the same way, "Hola Amigos".
-Mmmm, you're telling me you never wrote a love letter?
-Never, honestly. It's just that I prefer talking as opposed to writing. That's one of the reasons why I love songs... they express the things that I find I am unable to say. I am not very good at saying "I like you", "I love you", "you're the best thing in my life"... Sometimes I can't find the right words, the right time, the right tone, even the exact feeling. That's the reason why I dedicate songs. I have always been interested on how a song is created. I ask my composer friends if they write the words first or the music first, and they say it is something that just comes to you. But, how does it come, what do I do, where do I begin?
NOVELERA QUEEN
She says of the four characters that initiated her career, "Amalia Batista", "Principessa", "Monte Calvario" and "El Camino Secreto", they gave her experience and the opportunity to work with great actors. In "La Indomable", her first telenovela and her first star role, she initiated a new trend in fashion with her hairdo and the head bands she wore. In "Entre la Vida y la Muerte" I discovered beautiful things that are connected to the Mayan culture and which I love. And in "Yo Compro Esa Mujer", I loved the clothes, the hair, the culture and the opportunity to have experienced life in an period of time that is forever gone.
-Most of my characters have been strong, tempermental, the kind that stand and fight for their rights. I think "Esmeralda" was the weakest character, but that was her charm. The character was innocent and so tender. In the fields she felt free, but the slightest noice would frighten her like a deer. This was the project that open the doors for me internationally.
-What can you tell us about "Laberintos de Pasion"?
-Julieta Valderrama is completely the opposite. She is a very strong woman! The story is about the lives of very powerful people, very nasty, rude, who are against my grandfather (Roberto Antunes). I love her because she is a woman with a strong character who struggles to get where she is, and when she finds her true love she stands up and fights for it.
-What did you think of the remake of "Valeria y Maximiliano" in Televisa?
-We did that production nine years ago, imagine. There are a lot of telenovelas they could have done, but by choosing that one it became a "classic". What do you think about that? Now I'm a classic! (laughs). Of course it felt strange because the styles are very different, my hair is long and curly, I look like "Macumba", the queen of the household. (laughs).
-And what happened to the "Macumba"? How did she become the Lety we know today?
-After "Valeria" I cut my hair shoulder length to do "Entre la Vida y la Muerte". When I finished that novela I cut my hair off, I left it very very short. The last thing I wanted to do was comb my hair. I hate it!
-Where you the kind of girl that would run from her mother when she had a brush in her hand?
-(Laughs) Honestly, I can say with pride that since I was five years old I combed my own hair. My hair looked strange at times, but I felt wonderful. The only thing I could not do was cut my bangs, they always came out crooked.
-What do you miss from your normal life when you go on the set to film?
-I like to sleep, so when I am doing novelas it's hard for me to wake up early. And I miss my four nephews whom I adore, that is why I try to get together with my brothers once a week. I miss listening to music, cooking, reading and working on my home projects. I have always been very restless and I like to work with my hands. A lot of people have told me that I should have taken piano lessons. I don't know, I tried guitar lessons but my fingers felt clumsy.
-For having had so much success and growing up a member of the film industry in Mexico, you are very grounded and maintain a good image. How do you stay that way?
-Now and then I do admit that during my lifetime I have done things differently, but not because I lost sight of reality, but rather because my responsibilities increased. Friends invite me to go out for dinner but I have to tell them I can't go. What they don't know is that back in my dressing room I cry because I can't be with them. Some of the people are understanding, and that's good. Then there are those that distance themselves, they just don't understand. That's what hurts the most in this career.
-And the most fulfilling?
-I believe that the most important thing in acting is the ability to be someone else, there is an interesting interchange. There's a lot of me in my characters, and I get to know myself through them, but Julieta, Maria Fernanda, Maria Cristina... all of them have left something for Leticia Calderon. Besides, they have given me the people's love. I want to say hi to all the people that have followed my career, and kept up with it. This interview is to thank everyone of you. I hope we can continue like this for many years to come.
Univision 2000

TOP SITES: