Providing tools for the future or limiting future roles?

It is amazing to see how much goes into a telenovela, and in return, how much the actors get out of it. For example, not only do the consumption and production play a large role in a successful telenovela, but as I learned with “La Mentira,” the actors themselves are also imperative to the success. Although both Kate del Castillo and Guy Ecker had multiple past telenovela roles, it wasn’t until their undying success in “La Mentira” that made their careers take off.

However, as the interview with Leonardo Patron on Dr. A’s blog suggests, there is a paradox to all telenovelas. While the rigorous work schedule of shooting over forty scenes a day is important to the actors’ learning and work ethic, do the various protagonist roles ever become too repetitive? And does it hinder their chances of becoming involved in other types of acting?

I found this topic prevalent in an article by the Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-delcastillo2-2009aug02,0,3455193.story). I suggest checking it out because it made me think about how an active participation and success in the telenovela world can affect someone’s future career goals.

It is interesting to see how involvement with telenovelas has either advanced the careers of actors or worsened them. Kate del Castillo has been lucky that her career in other genres of acting has taken off, even after her long-term involvement with telenovelas. Starring in nine telenovelas that have been aired in more than 100 countries worldwide, she found it difficult to break out of the telenovela world in Mexico, so she moved to Los Angeles to begin film acting. She describes her new career path as “starting over.” If she gets a job in the United States, it is solely for her acting and not because of her telenovela past or because of her father’s fame in Mexico.

Kate del Castillo is known as the “Jennifer Aniston of Latin America,” and her Latin American beauty is very obvious in her roles. I liked the part where Kate says, “I love playing the powerful Latina woman…[as opposed to the] seductive, slutty women or the maids we usually play,” in describing her role as Pilar on Weeds.

Unfortunately, Guy Ecker has not had as much luck with film roles, even though his acting career basically took off at the exact same time as Kate’s. Although, he has moved to the United States to try to break away from the telenovela scene, the interview with Leonardo Patrón shows that he is not noticeably recognized as a Latin American because his Latino physical features are not as distinct. Therefore, he is not being hired in the US.

The question will continue to remain: Do telenovelas provide tools for the actors’ future or do they limit their chances of obtaining future jobs?