If you have been feeling down for days and the opportunity arises, do not refuse to have a coffee (cane, wine, soy milk) with Belinda Washington: she is energy in motion and has a smiling vitality that is contagious. An example: she was about to be called Analisa, a fact that is not so well known, and when discussing it with her, she responds “It was the name my mother liked but thank goodness she didn’t give it to me, because with how busty I am… ” Actress, presenter, teacher and singer, she is part of the increasingly large and interesting family of the Ibiza Film Festival, Ibicine, which has just presented its seventh edition at the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain. It’s a perfect time to talk to her.
Last year you left the entire audience with their mouths open performing La llorona, a song from Mexican folklore. What are you preparing this year for Ibicine?
We will do something but it cannot be revealed yet (laughs). There will be surprises. Being in Ibicine is a gift because of all the love behind it, because of the beautiful people that join every year, because of everything they do regarding excellence with the awareness of communicating that Ibiza is not only a party but gastronomy and wonderful places from those who tell fantastic stories. Yes, I feel like I am part of the family and the truth is that there are such beautiful people who make it worth it every year. It is a pleasure.
You have just finished filming Eva and Nicole, an Atresmedia series with Belén Rueda and Hiba Abouk. What can you tell me?
It is a fiction that talks about Marbella in the 80s, about everything that happened, that sometimes was known and other times not so much, about the power of two women and I play Belén’s best friend. It has been a fantastic shoot, with a wonderful script and both are exceptional but Belén, as I have been hand in hand working with her, I can only give you positive adjectives: she is a great human being, a fantastic actress and a fabulous companion. The entire mechanism of this production has been formidable. And now I have started with another series that I still can’t give you details about but that makes me very happy. Anyway, I’m rolling (laughs).
Do you continue as an acting teacher?
Yes, I just took a course for The Core School, with Rubén Ortega and 40 wonderful students. I hope to do a workshop again soon for AISGE or wherever they ask me because I love teaching classes.
Your daughter Daniela has been working as a model for some time now, she is also trying to make her way as an actress. What is the most valuable advice you have given?
To both her and my students, I always say three words. I start with something that is somewhat ordinary: that we come to screw up, to make mistakes, to stumble because if you are looking for success in a learning process you are already in a bad position, you are already suffering because you have an expectation. But having the fluidity of knowing that you are going to make mistakes, to fall, means a freedom that implies evolving, learning, and always makes you grow more. And then my three words: work, humility and passion, which are for any path in life.
Your other daughter, Andrea, studied Fine Arts and is a designer. She doesn’t have such a noticeable public profile. Are you happy? I’m talking about the possible risks of being famous.
The thing is that in this sense I think I have nothing to comment or say. They have to follow their own DNA, their own imprint when it comes to realizing themselves, expressing themselves, being. I have nothing to say, the only thing I wish for them is that they are happy, that they develop as they wish and follow what really flows through them, that they be authentic to what they feel.
Before becoming an actress, you were a flight attendant, a management secretary, you worked on the radio, you left law in fourth grade and began to make an image as a presenter with Jesús Hermida. Do you think those experiences help you better embody different characters?
I believe that everything adds up to you: life’s experiences always add up. You don’t tiptoe through the experience and everything that happens to you. The good and the bad, both necessary to evolve and learn. In fact, I get more grades and learn more from moments of failure, because the work I do doesn’t work, it doesn’t depend on you, because life comes a little more twisted, tighter… You learn more and you get stronger .
First as a couple and then as a married couple, you have been with Luis Lázaro for around 40 years. In an interview some time ago, you said the following: “Like Viking marriages, all couples should take stock every six months to see if it is worth it for us to move forward.” Do you make that balance or was it just talking for the sake of talking?
No, man, not every six months, can you imagine? I would have to set an alarm on my cell phone (laughs). What I do believe is that nothing should be taken for granted. You cannot settle into the fact that everything is going well, that everything is evolving and there are better moments, worse moments, you go through different colors. You always have to check yourself and if it is still worthwhile for you to continue with that person, but not out of interest but because your heart continues to beat in that direction, go ahead.
You had a wine cellar. Have you never thought about reopening the business?
No. I really like gastronomy, I love creating recipes and cooking, but that stage passed. My husband now thinks about retiring, so he imagines taking care of it alone. But I have something else on my plate: I’m writing a novel. And I am very happy. I throw eggs at life!
Tell me the theme.
Mmm… It goes from where you put the focus of your happiness; Many times we put it outside and it is not there. It’s in other places.
Wow, you’ve become a Buddhist.
Well, I have become a Buddhist, a Roman Apostolic Catholic, Zen… I turn to everything that makes me evolve. But I don’t like labels, so I am a little of everything and a lot of nothing.
Are you still escaping to your little house in Lugo?
Yes, don’t ask me where it is because it’s my secret refuge. Galicia reminds me of that Scotland where I grew up and to which I plan to return shortly, because my father is still alive but I have to take advantage of the time he has left. I always leave Galicia crying, physically crying, and for me it is a necessity to return and feed on that air, that landscape, that food, those people, everything. I get excited every time a bagpipe plays.
