Pepe Viyuela came face to face with one of the biggest dilemmas of his life last week, when the news broke that the Madrid Provincial Prosecutor’s Office had filed a complaint against the theater director Ramón Paso for sexual assaults on 14 women. Protagonist of Jardiel in love, play written and directed by Paso that at that time was being performed at the Infanta Isabel theater in Madrid, the responsibility of responding in public to one of the most difficult questions of this time suddenly fell on his shoulders: should we cancel or not cancel? He began to receive dozens of calls from the press, but he did not answer because he did not know what to do or what to say.
-I was paralyzed. He was confused, surprised, angry. Finally I picked up a journalist and when she asked me if she was going to continue with the show, I decided: “I’m not going to go on stage this afternoon. Can’t”. But I didn’t decide it with the idea of canceling anyone or to take up the flag of feminism, but rather because of a matter of guts. Like vomit. There are times when you have to invite calm, but other times you cannot delay the response. It’s like if you suddenly see an attack on the street: you can’t go home and think for a couple of days to see what you do. “As simple as that,” the interpreter explained to this newspaper the next day, somewhat more relaxed now, although still shocked.
In one fell swoop and without intending to, Viyuela cleaned the word cancellation of prejudices to fill it with meaning and legitimacy. To which we must add the fact that he was a man who did it. No one dared to question or criticize his decision. “He couldn’t do anything else. I do not forget the presumption of innocence, but I cannot ignore the fact that 14 women who surely did not know each other have filed a complaint,” she reflects. Hours later, producer Andrés Vicente Gómez and the Infanta Isabel programmers, in agreement with Viyuela and the other two actors in the show (Sergio Otegui and Rafa Ortega), announced in a statement the definitive suspension of the show. The three female members of the cast, Ana Azorín, Inés Kerzan and Ángela Peirat, Ramón Paso’s partners in the company PasoAzorín, did not join.
Ask. In that statement they assure that they were completely unaware of the reported events. How is it possible that no one knew anything when at least 14 women have gone to court?
Answer. It’s the big question. I will be honest. When I agree to participate in this play and a woman in my close environment finds out about it, she tells me: ‘Don’t you know that there are rumors that Ramón Paso is a stalker?’ ‘No idea. But do you directly know anyone to whom it has happened?’, I ask him. ‘No. I just know that one person was told to another,’ she replies. With such scarce information, I do not feel able at that moment to break my commitment to the production and move on. But now I’m left with the idea inoculated in my head. You can’t avoid suspicion, although you also feel bad for thinking about it, you tell yourself that you can’t accuse anyone of something so serious based on rumors.
Q. Didn’t you notice anything suspicious during rehearsals?
R. I didn’t see any signs of harassment or abuse. But, of course, with that information that I had in my head, I couldn’t help but analyze some things. It was very contradictory, I tried to convince myself that he was conditioned by what they had told me, but the truth is that I did not like how Ramón spoke to the company, perhaps more to them than to us. It seemed strange to me.
Acting as if nothing was happening was not possible
Q. In what sense?
R. Let’s see… it’s very hard for me to talk about this now. But I saw it as a negative energy of power. And when he said something, he was welcomed by the actresses with excessive enthusiasm. Like they valued his contributions excessively. It was like I noticed that there was something around Ramón that made him a kind of guru or superior being in front of certain people.
Q. It drew a lot of attention on Wednesday that the three actresses in the cast did not join the statement.
R. They are closely linked to Paso. They admire him unconditionally. I had never seen that before.
Q. Returning to the issue of cancellation, what if it turns out that Ramón Paso is acquitted?
R. I am not a friend of Ramón and I have not called him to ask him, nor has he called me to deny it. But I’m not accusing him of anything, I’m questioning him. That is to say: if this is about you, then let’s pause, let’s see what you have to say, what the people who have filed complaints against you have to say and what the judges have to say. Acting as if nothing was happening was not possible.
Male arrogance is still present
Q. The entire sector has publicly supported him in his decision. Does it comfort you?
R. It comforted me that Andrés Vicente Gómez did not tell me: I am going to lose a lot of money and we have to continue as is. On the contrary, he told me: this function must be lifted. But I don’t feel brave or a hero or a standard bearer of anything. And now that’s why I want to get away. I am not the protagonist of anything, I am a supporting actor in a story that has fallen on me. It was my turn because I am the most visible media focus, but I have already done what I had to do.
Q. The next day, another play directed by Paso that was on the bill at the Reina Victoria theater in Madrid was canceled. Do you think society’s attitude towards abuse is really changing?
R. For a long time, behaviors that were not normal have been considered normal. For example, considering that invasion attitudes were gallantry. Or getting into an elevator with a teacher and having him grab you. It could be usual, but not normal. And the woman ate it and what she did was avoid that guy, but she didn’t say anything because she wasn’t going to be of any use to him, they would tell her “what a nonsense, woman, he likes her.” Luckily that is no longer considered normal, but it is still there a bit. Male arrogance is still present. I say it even for myself. The question is to decide what we want: a world in which you have to ask permission to kiss or a world in which I say I’m going to kiss you because I feel like it.
Q. Are unstable professions like yours more vulnerable to abuse?
Q. Precariousness and intermittency make you very vulnerable, of course. And then we must also take into account the nature of our work. Being in an office in front of a computer is not the same as working with feelings or having to caress or kiss on stage making it seem like the truth is a lie.
