When Zay Zay Met...
When Zay Zay Met...
When Zay Zay Met... Ovidio de León | Weaving Authenticity into the Tapestry of Screenwriting
Have you ever wondered what ignites the spark in a screenwriter's mind, transforming personal histories and regional lore into cinematic magic? Ovidio de León, the ingenious mind behind the film "Enfermo Amor," joins us to unravel the threads of creativity that have woven the rich tapestry of his career, from his early days in Tampico, Mexico, to the global stage of VIX Plus. His story is a testament to the power of genuine narratives and a relentless passion for the art of filmmaking.
Embark on a journey through the complexities of love as Ovidio delves into the narratives of nine diverse relationships. With a masterful blend of humor and heart, he challenges stereotypes and crafts stories with an authenticity that resonates with anyone who's ever been struck by Cupid's arrow. Ovidio’s dedication to honest and empathetic storytelling becomes palpable as he discusses the delicate portrayal of a pivotal moment in a lesbian couple's life. His creative process, peppered with inspiration from a myriad of films and TV shows, ensures that every character, from the star-crossed lovers to the comedic sidekicks, comes to life with full emotional depth.
In our conversation, we traverse the collaborative landscape of screenwriting, where ideas morph over time and adapt to the collective vision of writers, directors, and producers. Ovidio shares his experience of adapting plays for the screen and the meticulous care involved in preserving the soul of the original work. As he navigates the terrain of teen dramas, we examine the razor-edge balance between raw storytelling and industry apprehensions, taking cues from groundbreaking shows like "Euphoria." Join us for an intimate peek behind the curtain of screenwriting, where Ovidio de León shapes narratives that stay with audiences long after the credits roll.
Do you feel that you have already created your own style of screenwriting? No, I mean.
Speaker 2:I don't do it. No man, I mean it depends. That's an interesting question. I would say no. Hi, I'm Obiro de León. This is Wednesday Zaymet and today Zaymet me.
Speaker 1:Bienvenidos a mi gente. I am Zay Zay and welcome to Wednesday, zaymet. Today is a fun day, guys. We have an award-winning screenwriter. His latest film is En Femo Amor or Love Sick, which you can watch now exclusively on the Televisa Univision streaming platform VIX Plus. Ladies and gentlemen, show your love. This is Obiro de León.
Speaker 2:How are you doing? All right, I'm pretty good how are you?
Speaker 1:We're good, we're good. Thank you very much. Thanks for being here today, man. Oh, thank you. Let's start from the get. You are from Tampico, mexico. Tell me a little bit about what it was like for you growing up in Tampico.
Speaker 2:Everything about Tampico is very inspiring in a way. There's this giant in Tampico called Pepito el Terrestre, who was an icon. He became this urban legend and he was a man who was I don't know how to say this in feet, but like 230, 240 metros, so he was like this big man.
Speaker 1:That's like seven and a half feet right, Like that's huge.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, and there's like this big statue in Tampico of this guy, and I remember listening to my grandfather and my father talk about Pepito el Terrestre. So it was very. Growing up in Tampico was being surrounded with, like this, characters who are like from maybe, I don't know like fairy tales. People in Tampico believe that that there are aliens in underwater, like under the sea, who protect the people from Tampico from hurricanes. So yeah, it's very crazy.
Speaker 1:That's awesome though I like that man, fairy tales and aliens, so you so is that where you were able to draw like a lot of your creativity and writing and stuff is from just being surrounded by what you just called fairy tales.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, I mean this came later in life, but at first it was basically what inspired me where I don't know, like my, my family and the people I grew up with, and the stories of friends and my friend's parents, so that was always like I was always surrounded with a lot of you know, like drama and stories, so so all that became like this source of inspiration, so so it was a lot of fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like this typical kid with a camera recorder like shooting everything, so yeah, that leads into my next question a bit, because it seems like in this business everybody always wants to strive to do other things right. Like it's very rare to find, let's say, an editor who always wanted to be an editor and that's it. I don't want to do anything else, I just want to be an editor or a writer who always just I just want to write and that's it. Everyone has sort of aspirations of other things. Is writing it for you or do you want to go somewhere else with it?
Speaker 2:I love writing, but I've always considered myself a writer-director.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I enjoy directing a lot. When I was in in college I used to direct all the things that I wrote, but life has led me through through writing and through screenwriting and I really, really enjoy it. But I but I like eventually I would like to to direct my movies, but what mostly right now, like what makes me passionate, is is writing. Yeah, but I also like like to to direct and, just like you said, like when, when you're in this business, you do a little bit of everything. So I've I've been a producer, I've been a director, I've done some things in our department. So so, yeah, but mostly when, when, when I finished college and then I just started writing a little more and then things started to to happen in screenwriting, I was like, okay, I like this.
Speaker 1:So it's good, right? You find, if you're you're, you pick a bunch of different things, you make them all happen and then one thing starts to snowball and okay, this is where my career begins, right, that's. That's amazing. Now, being in this industry, you have a bit more understanding now, right, Than just being a struggling you know screenwriter about how things happen. For all the people out there who are that screenwriter, who's you know one script away from finally making it, what makes a screenplay standout, or what makes a script stand out?
Speaker 2:Oh, that's a that's a very interesting question. I think what makes it stand out is, first of all, you know, like originality, like there has to be something in the script that maybe you know it's a romantic comedy or it's a thriller, but it has some element that that makes it makes it a little different. And also, I think, like this is always something I say in my screenwriting workshops like, for me it's all about being honest. Like you can tell right away a producer, a director can tell right away if what you're writing is a script. What you're writing is, you know, like, if it's I don't know, dishonest, or if it doesn't connect, if it means something to you, if it speaks to you, it's going to speak to someone else. So that is what I try to. I don't know.
Speaker 2:Like there are projects that I love. I have this screenplay that I started writing maybe like seven or eight years ago and I haven't been able to do it. But it's like this it's a couple that go to a cabin and they have this weird relationship and he's a director and she's an actress, and it's a script that I love. But producers are like I don't know if I want to invest in a project that is just two people, like in a cabin. You know so there are things that you start learning like throughout the years that you say, okay, so this might be interesting to some people and then you just go with it. But I say, a lot of it comes from trying to say something that is true to you, you know. So I know it sounds a little like corny, but it's good.
Speaker 1:No, no, it makes sense. And you know what, In terms of getting movies done right now with only two people in a cabin, I'm pretty sure the industry is wide open to those kind of scripts right now, especially after the past couple of years, right?
Speaker 2:So maybe it's time to, and let's go Exactly yeah, it's like, here you go, a couple of friends a camera, and that's it.
Speaker 1:That's it, and that's it. You can do it. Oh my gosh man, let's do it. Yeah, let's do it. I'll come to Tampico and we'll just make it, we'll just do it, and then we'll put it out. Finally, kevin's gonna learn.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:At least a proof of concept, right? Exactly so cool. All right, so I know that it's really it's still early days for you, right? You're a young screenwriter and you're finally catching your stride in the industry in a major way, right? Do you feel that you have already created your own like style of screenwriting, like this? You've solidified it. Like people when they read this script, they're gonna know it came from me. You think you've already developed that, or is that still in the making?
Speaker 2:No, I mean.
Speaker 2:I think it's still no man. I mean, it depends a lot on the project and that's an interesting question. I would say no. Some people who have read my scripts are like, oh, this sounds so much like you and this kind of this dialogue and the situations of the characters. I mean I'm very into drama and I'm very into like the couples and the way, like the things that characters don't say but imply to each other. But so yeah, but I think it's always a quest or a search as a writer to try to find your own voice. So I think that is always something that keeps like developing and becoming stronger and stronger. But I would say I'm trying. I kind of have an idea right now of how I write and how I try to create stories and dialogues and situations, but I don't think I found. I would love to say that I do, but it just keeps. I don't know. Every single project takes you somewhere else, but I don't think yeah.
Speaker 1:And you know what? I think that's probably the most honest answer anybody could really give, right. Like, yeah, everybody develops a style, but is it ever really done? Probably not, right. Is it ever solidified Like this? Is it, this is how I do things? Probably not. You know, it's always like you said, it's always a development, a whole thing. Let's talk a little bit about Inferno Amor, your new movie. It's based on a play, right? It's an anthology of stories, of great stories, and you guys call it an unromantic love story, right?
Speaker 1:Tell us a little bit about Inferno Amor.
Speaker 2:So the movie is there are nine different stories, nine different stories that happen in the same city. It's this I mean, it's happening in Mexico City, but you don't know exactly which city it is, but it's in Mexico and it's nine different love stories that are somehow connected, you know. So you start the first story. It's this two random people, a girl and a guy, who meet at a supermarket and it's like this big connection, you know, like they see each other and it's like sparks everywhere and they have this a lot of chemistry going on. I'm not gonna spoil that one. But then, after that, a different story comes up. There's this singing telegram, who's a guy who's dressed as a bunny, who comes to sing to his lady, who has all this big expectation that she thinks her boyfriend is gonna propose to her. And then I mean many, many, many different, like nine different stories that are connected and they all speak a lot about love and connection and these high expectations that you have.
Speaker 2:You know, and what's really interesting about this project that is something that I love is that it's not interested in, you know, like the happy ever after or the.
Speaker 2:I think it's a lot of fun, but it also has a lot of depth about how, today, relationships work. You know, how do you make it work, what are your fears, what are your expectations, what is it that you wanna prove yourself when you're in a relationship, and how all these little you know conflicts in the, in the, in the, in the daily life, and how all of that affects you, when you know what's really interesting about the movies is that it's structured as the lifespan of a couple. You know, so you begin with a mid cute, and then you go on to a heartbreak and then the story comes up, and then you start seeing all these different stories and you're like, okay, so this is maybe just one single story told to nine different perspectives, you know. So that is something that I really connected and wanted to to make as evident as possible throughout the film, which is, you can identify with every single one of those characters, or just one, but it speaks a lot about different ways of leaving love.
Speaker 1:So all these unromantic kind of love stories, but they're all love stories all put together in this great package where you know they kind of all interlace somehow right In this sort of nondescript city you know it's in Mexico, but this nondescript city somewhere in the world, right, and this stuff can happen to any of us. Did you find yourself uniquely qualified to to write this or to you know, to adapt this screen, to adapt this into a screenplay, like, did you feel like you had all the information that you need to be a love expert to put all this together?
Speaker 2:I mean there were a few of the stories that I really connected to, especially the ones that were more lighthearted, more fun, more. There's one that is there's this board couple and it's a Friday night and he's watching TV shows on his iPad and she's reading a magazine and she's like do it on board, I wanna do something fun. And from the first time I watched the play I was like wow, this, this, I mean I fell in love with that, with that story, and I was like, okay, yeah, I think I can connect easily with you know stories that are more fun and that are. There's another story that there's this word play between characters, that she says something that she shouldn't have said and it all comes down to this weird twisted sex thing between the characters, and that was also a lot of fun and it was easy to get into that. But there are other stories that are more raw and more intimate and more. I mean, I think most, all of them have this intimate thing going on. But there is one that is a lesbian couple and they have kids and it's this moment that is a key moment in their relationship and it's very complex and the dialogue had to be very nuanced and you had both characters.
Speaker 2:When we were talking about these characters with when I was talking with the directors, we were like okay, so this cannot be, you cannot choose a perspective. You have to lay both perspectives and they have to be equally powerful. You know, there's this one character who's Sofia, and she says stay at home, mom, and at least she goes to work, you know. So it's like they start arguing with each other, but at first you kind of say, okay, so this is the villain or the one who is guilty. But then as the story progresses, you start to be like okay, so these two characters are in the same. You know, I cannot judge any single one of these characters. They have to be in the same page and they have to be equally powerful and you have to empathize with both. Once they started writing, the challenges became more I don't know more más evidentes.
Speaker 1:As you're talking, like I'm imagining you writing this, and then I mean did you have to go and seek out advice at any point? Did you have to talk to people in order to pick up these nuances? Or how did you research for this kind of stuff? Just watch a lot of TV or a lot of films.
Speaker 2:There was a lot of at first. There are two directors in the movie, rodrigo and Marco Polo, and at first it was just Rodrigo and me and then Marco Polo came along for the film. But at first it was like I started because we were speaking about this movie I don't know if you've seen it Wild Tales, relato Salvajes. It's an Argentinian film. There's six different stories that all have something to do with this key moment when you are in the bank and you want to explode because someone pushes you to the edge, and all the stories have to do with this line that divides you know, like being a really civil and really polite, and this other side where you're like okay, I want to tell everyone to just go. Yeah, so that was something that I saw, that movie, and I was like, okay, this is kind of Relato Salvajes, but of romantic relationships. So it was like, okay, so how are these stories in these other movies connected Like? We spoke a lot with the directors about Robert Altman's Shortcuts and Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia too.
Speaker 2:I mean, I think the most interesting part is something that, after this one, I recently adapted a novel and I'm obsessed Like I could write for it. I could always write after, like, from now on, a lot of adaptations, because it's because the keys are in the text, but a lot of it comes from okay. So I had there's this essence, there's this thing that the writer is talking about, but how do I turn that? How do I make it cinematic? How do I make that more, how a certain rhythm, how do I bring this to life?
Speaker 2:Because the interesting thing about Enferma Mor was that the play is in a very. I mean, you read the play and it is almost like very theatrical in a way, like it's very, it's a farce in a way, and this is okay. I spoke with the director and was like we want to make this as realistic as possible, as, yeah, a lot more grounded. So it was like, okay, how do we find the balance between what is in the play and what we want to say on screen? So that was all the whole process. I don't know if I answered your question.
Speaker 1:No you did, you did. It makes sense. I mean, there was a big process. I just wondered when it came to the granular stuff for each character, like, for instance, this lesbian couple that was going through a hard time in their marriage. I mean, you're not part of a lesbian couple, right? So in writing for these very specific characters, even when you weren't, when you personally don't have that experience, how do you make it so real?
Speaker 2:I think the key is always trying to find something in the characters that is universal, that can connect to you. I mean, just like you said, I'm not in a lesbian relationship, but I've been in relationships with people that are where you kind of know what you want to what you're going through and in order to make that certain conflict move forward, or how to solve a certain conflict, you have to have empathy for the other person who is there. So it's like okay, I have to switch my way of thinking in order to put myself in other person's shoes, and in that story was a lot like speaking with the directors, like okay, so what are these characters going through? Why is it important?
Speaker 2:For one of the characters, one of the characters, the story starts and she's going through this box of things from when she was young and it's like this trip she made and there's a joint of weed and there's an old camera from you know, like all this memorabilia from her past, and it was like, okay, so this character is yearning what she thinks. The other character has freedom, you know. And there's this other character who's like okay, I would love to spend more time with my family, with you and the kids, but I can't do it because I am working all the time to provide for what you guys have. So it was like, okay, how do I find that balance? You know, and especially in that one, when I was writing that story, I thought a lot about my, this person I lived with and how this person had to. I mean, we were doing great, you know, but this person had to go live somewhere else to pursue an acting career.
Speaker 2:And I was like, okay, but I mean, the love is still here. But how do we make this? How can I understand your perspective without feeling that I'm being completely selfish if I feel like it's breaking my heart, you know? So we have a little bit of that and also a lot of. I think the key for me was the John Karyani's play. It was very the characters are so well written and so they are there. So it's like okay, so these are his characters. How do I meet them, my own, how do I add this little thing and what Rodrigo tells me and what Marco Polo tells me? How do I put them, you know, like all together and create a certain conflict and how can it have a life of its own? And it's very interesting because this project, I think I started writing it maybe four years ago, almost four years ago.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I mean, it's a proof of projects. Have this they're fighting their way through time and you know, and everything just to be made.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, oh my gosh, I never even looked at it that way A project fighting its way through like trying to make it to the end to try to get made.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. I never even thought of it that way, but yeah, you could certainly put that on it See. See what it's like when you talk to a great writer. You get wonderful ideas just come out naturally. That's awesome. I like it All right. So you have a screenplay, I'm told, based on that magical character that you were talking about at the beginning, pepito el Terrestre. Right Gentleman to suffer from gigantism back in the early 1900s. Where is that right now? At what stage are we going to be able to watch this become a movie?
Speaker 2:It's last year I got this grant from I don't know if you say that un estímulo, un apoyo from the IEI Film Sina, the Mexican Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía, and what they did was they sponsored me to rewrite the project. So it's in this. I mean, I finished rewriting the script and I completely, like, did a whole different structure. It became something more. I don't know. It's kind of like a comedy, but it's also a drama and it's also a biopic, but it's like this imaginary, weird drama drama with some science fiction and some fantasy. And it blew my mind that Patricio Saiz, who was my how do you say my tutor in the in this in La Beca, he told like, dude, this is a story that is not. You know, you're talking about a giant in a small town. You have to go crazy. You cannot just tell, you know this linear story, like this guy was born and this guy was Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah and then this guy died. You know, it's like you have to go crazy. And when I was in the process of restructuring the film, I was like, okay, so Pepito Trese is someone who was mostly known by people as this giant who everyone has a different story, like they said that he he turned a patrol car like the car of the cops. Yeah, he was so strong that he turned the patrol car. And there's this little story that they said, like in the 1955 hurricane he started rescuing people and like people were drowning in the streets and he just like lifted them up but put these people on the roofs of their houses. Oh my gosh, there are so many different stories, like you know. People say like, oh, he was very famous with the ladies because you know, he was a giant. So, yeah, the ladies wanted to be with him. So all these little things I would like.
Speaker 2:Okay, I was researching a lot in the process in Tampico about who Pepito really was and I was trying to find the truth of who Pepito el Terrestre was, you know. So in this process of rewriting this story, I was like, okay, there is not a single. How do you say there's not one single truth about Pepito? You know the truth about Pepito is that there is not one truth, you know. So, like in that moment, I was like, okay, so what if I tell this story through five or four different characters who are speaking to this journalist type character? And he's like, okay, so this guy goes with a guy who worked with him in the circus and he starts telling his version of Pepito, and it's this whole adventurous thing.
Speaker 2:And then I intercut with another story of Pepito's mother, who's like oh, pepito was a saint and he was never. You know, he was this great guy. And there's this story of this woman who broke his heart and what she thinks. And then what would Pepito del Terrestre's best friend say? So then I became like, okay, so this is. I think this is a nice way to tell Pepito's story. You know, like with different versions that always contradict each other and start in this comic tone, this kind of absurd thing. You know, this story basically starts with a homeless guy who's blind and he's telling the story of Pepito of what he hears in the streets of Pepito del Terrestre, and then he's like okay, you want me to tell you something about Pepito del Terrestre? Just give me a coin and I'll tell you everything about him.
Speaker 2:Because, when Pepito was a child, he was so big that he weighed like six kilos and when he came out of his mother's womb he was like a little boy. He was not a baby. He was not a baby, he was a little boy. And then it all happens like in the middle of a storm, and then the guy who interviews asks Pepito's mother and she was like no, but Pepito grew up, just, he was a normal child, he was just like every single child and, you know, like all these little things that are all All these great things when they come together, like right now.
Speaker 1:I'm imagining that I definitely have to see this movie.
Speaker 2:That's the first thing right, I definitely got to see this movie. This is one of my passion projects, right.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, we got to watch this movie. It feels like a combination of 300 where the story is so much bigger, right Than what the truth was right. But you're listening to this person tell this gigantic story of what these people did, and also like A Stranger Calls. Have you ever seen that movie? The Liam Neeson as the dragon of? So almost that, along with the grandness of 300, but not the action and the blood, but just the exaggeration of it. And then Tom Hanks could play.
Speaker 2:No, yeah, exactly Tom Hanks could play Pepito.
Speaker 1:Tom Hanks is Pepito. You also worked on a Netflix series, right, or a series that's live on Netflix right now called Include. Now, that's a series versus a film. What are your thoughts about working on either Like? Is one better than the other? Is one more fun? Is one more challenging?
Speaker 2:That is something I was talking to someone just yesterday and writing on. I think the big difference is, you know, writing a TV show is way more complex. You start basically from a single premise. You know like this is going to be a story about this. In the case of Include, you know like rich kids who are selling drugs. You know so it's like okay, so this is the premise, how do I make this bigger and how do I write all this other? You know the context and characters throughout 25 episodes.
Speaker 2:That's a, you know, like that's a really big challenge, yeah, and. But it's also less lonely writing a TV show because you're working with. You know there's a head writer and you're working with other screenwriters, so it's always like this back and forth of ideas and plot lines and characters and all those things. I personally enjoy more the screenwriting process for movies, but they each have, you know, their certain challenges. But I would say writing a TV show is like it takes way more time and you're like okay, so this is going to be interesting because you're structuring a whole different way and movies are more like small more personal, more intimate, and TV shows are always have a certain rhythm, you know, and a certain.
Speaker 1:the project has certain needs and when you're writing a movie you can try to be a little more personal, it feels as almost like you're saying that writing a movie is more like writing a story, whereas writing for television it's writing a story, but then slowing it way down to make time right, Because you have to fill in 13 episodes, 24 episodes, especially if it's one continuous arc, versus like writing a series that's a different story every week, right. So you feel that you had to like slow things way down or just come up with new ideas every week.
Speaker 2:Yeah, especially in a few it was. There was this we were like seven people in that writer's room and it was always like, okay, you come up with new ideas and everyone was pitching all these stories. But we always had a very clear from the beginning like what was the arc going to be? So it was like okay, so we have these three main characters and how does this situation change as these characters in a way that can be intertwined with the stories of other characters and, at the same time, how they progress and how the how? It was like okay, so this, this character.
Speaker 2:There was one character in the TV show who is just Mattias and he was like this naive guy and he's like this computer geek and throughout the story he starts becoming, he starts kind of breaking bad in a way. Oh, okay, yeah, so it's like okay, so this is interesting. Okay, so this is going to be kind of like the arc of this character. Now it's time to say, okay, what is the? Who would this character fall in love Like? Who would have to be a person? Who can, you know, take this character out of his comfort zone? It's like okay, so what if we put this other character who's kind of like this quirky girl and she's more and more of an extrovert. How how is she going to change him? And so so it's like, okay, so you have this clear, like A to C linea dramática no y lo conductor. And then you go and say, okay, so so in all this, in between, how do I divide that in all these different characters? How does every single one of these characters connect to the others? It's, it's a process.
Speaker 1:It's a process. It's a process, it's a challenge. I can't imagine. I can imagine. You know what's interesting to me and I'd love to get your thoughts on this. It seems as though a lot of teen oriented or school oriented shows today are starting to get a bit more. I see real right To an extent, shows like a group, shows like euphoria, right, right it's, there's a real element of of danger to an extent, right In terms of, you know, whether it be drug use, so whether it be you know, promiscuity or something like that, it seems. Does this seem to be becoming a trend in the industry right now to like take that age group and make it a little more real than than it used to be?
Speaker 2:I think there is, I don't know you were mentioning before and I was thinking like every single, I think every single producer who's making teen dramas right now is like, okay, I want to make the next euphoria right, because there is something about that show that is very real in a way and very risky and ambitious. But I think what connects with euphoria mostly is that characters are picking about a lot of teenage angst. You know things that normally people wouldn't speak about before or they wouldn't talk about, like you know certain subjects I don't know, like abortion, or maybe I don't know, like subjects that were taboo before and the way teens are used to be represented. You know, maybe in their teen dramas from the 90s and the early 2000s they were more how do I say, like medicine novels, like very yeah, now there's this kind of like okay, how do I take this? You know, how do I make it edgier, how do I make it more real?
Speaker 2:And the thing is, I think that these TV shows are they have to be again. You know the thing about honesty and thinking about people have access to so many things now, like teenagers have access, you know, to TikTok and to all this information on social media and they are ready, I think, for more realistic portrayal of the issues they're going through, without having to be, you know, without censorship in a way, or without like okay, I'm gonna talk about this, but I'm just gonna touch the surface. So people are like okay, I wanna see how these things that I went through, that nobody else has spoken to me about before, how is that represented? And how do I feel less lonely with TV shows that are telling me the truth up front? And you know, like it's just the Silla Neta, right, like how, and it's hard. It's hard because once you get in a process and I'm gonna talk about my personal, you know like frustrations with writing TV shows, especially which is also different than film is that when you're writing a TV show, there's always this little voice at the back of your head called a, you know a producer or an executive, and he's telling you like, hmm, that is not what I would do, I would do this, you know.
Speaker 2:So that is that happens in every single TV show. And shows like Ophoria are like some living son has you go ahead and write whatever you want. You know Like, so there's this like okay, we want Ophoria, we wanna make something like Ophoria, but we are gonna limit you. Like I think stories need, like the people who make the big decisions from the platforms, need to be more open in the way that they portray teenagers. Because you mentioned it with Ophoria, these TV shows are always like pushing the edge and being more real and more honest, and I think that is something that industry really needs right now, like trying to just be honest and say and depict these real issues that teenagers are going through.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it feels as though every generation will have their kind of pushing point right, like everybody tries to. You know, young screenwriters like yourself always try to push the boundaries right as time goes on. In the 80s it seemed as though a lot of it was really about the boundary to be pushed was like, you know, if you watch those movies from then, pregnancy right, it was always, you know, oh man, that was the big thing, the big to do, like, oh my gosh, she's pregnant. I can't believe it. Today it's like, at least that right, it's like so and every.
Speaker 1:You know the 90s were different, the early odds were different, or the odds were different, and now you know we're pushing it to be as real as possible. It seems no holds barred. I mean, we all remember when we were younger. It certainly was not like the movies. It was a lot more real, a lot more raw, you know, in a lot of ways. And now those stories are being told as well and it shocks people, which is nuts. But I feel your frustration. I could definitely understand, you know, you wanting to tell it all and then somebody be like eh eh, eh, eh.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, I made something right. I think every single writer goes through like you're like, oh my God, this is such a great idea and this is gonna be. And someone is like, okay, just tone it down a little bit. You're like, oh, I wanna put this in the video. It's you know, it's part of the charm as well. This project, it's a collaboration. At the end of the day, when you're writing stories, it's not just you, you're the first writer, and then the director rewrites in his own way, then the editor rewrites his own way, and then people just go with it, whatever they wanna interpret about it.
Speaker 1:So yeah, let's see go. Yeah, you have a podcast right now La, como se llama La, la Comadreja.
Speaker 2:La Comadreja.
Speaker 1:Tell me a little bit about your podcast man. What can I expect when I tune in?
Speaker 2:La Comadreja is. We started the, we did a few episodes and then we're going back for another episodes another season, I would say. But it's me and my one of my closest dearest friends, who's an actor from a club he's the character I was mentioning earlier he and I it's just like comadreando, you know, like being very like just him and me just talking about movies and TV shows. But it's very light and it's very. It has this, it has a light tone, but it's also very much like two friends talking about movies and TV shows, but with a little, you know, with depth and what we think, but it's. I like it because it's very free style. You know we have this, what we want to talk about, but it's also like speaking about shows and movies that we want to talk about and that are the conversation mainly. But it's a lot. We have so much fun.
Speaker 2:Ah, that's okay, Comadreja that's Weasel, the Weasel, the Weasel. What do you?
Speaker 1:call it the Weasel.
Speaker 2:I don't get it. I mean, maybe I get it, but why the Weasel? Porque la comadreja it is. We were speaking a lot about it. Like what are we going to name this thing? Like what is it going to be called? And I remember my mom and her best friend always said like comadre. We were like ay mi comadreja, este Me dame, la, ya mi comadreja, este mi comadreja lo tomaba. Like okay, this could work. And then I told him like okay, what if you do the comadreja? And then we do this little like weasel cartoon where it would be so much fun Because like, yeah, we're going through, like, because I like the concept of like comadreja, because it's kind of absurd and it has nothing to do with the TV shows and movies, okay, yeah, la comadreja.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:I like it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, indeed. Nothing to do with that. I mean, the Weasel play out words guys. Yeah, you can look it up. Comadreja, comadreja. But then you're having something completely different when you add the eh to it. That's pretty cool. You hold screenwriting classes, is that correct? Like you, tutor, you're looking back now and you're you know, now that you've made it, you're looking back and trying to help other people into the industry as well. It was the biggest piece of advice that you can give any up and coming screenwriters that are watching right now.
Speaker 2:One is like never give up. It's the biggest cliche that someone is gonna biggest cliche advice. But it's like in this industry and trying to make it in it is hard Like it's a lot of hard work and it's a lot of rejection and it's a lot of, you know, like you go with a producer and you're like oh my God, I love this script and I want it to be made. And then people are like no, I'm not interested and you're gonna be rejected many, many times and it's fine, you know. So it's like I think, when you don't give up and when you push through and you confiasse and you I mean confiasse lo suficiente in a project and you trust your God, and you're like okay, so this is gonna be a project that I wanna, that I'm gonna put all my energy in it and all my talent and all my time as well. So it's gonna find its way, you know, and if it connects with you and if it connects with other people, it's if it connects with you. It's gonna connect with other people.
Speaker 2:And I also think that one of the things I usually tell my students is right, what you know, I mean, even if you're writing a, you know a story about a giant. There's something about that giant that speaks to you. It's like, okay, what was it like growing up in some people, feeling like you didn't belong, you know, when you were young. And it's like this the giant is a metaphor of that, you know. So it's like always trying to find that thing that speaks to you about your characters and your plot. Even if it's not something that on the surface you can easily relate to, there's always gonna be something deep down that and that is what you need to stick to.
Speaker 2:And also I've mentioned this before but try to be honest. Try not to write something that is gonna be, you know, just efficient or just write for the thrills or just write for the laughs. If it doesn't, the story doesn't need to be funny. Just don't force the laugh, you know. Don't force the dialogue that is just to make people feel or think a certain way. Just try to always follow your gut and say, okay, so this is the story, you know Like it's gonna be about. Many things are gonna happen in the movie, but if you have clear, like, what you're trying to say with the story and what your perspective about that is, then it's gonna be way easier and all the things that are gonna happen in between. They're just gonna be more, are gonna flow with a more organic rhythm.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Be honest. Never give up. Tell the story the way it's telling you to tell it. This is great man, this is so good. Okay, do me a favor 30 seconds. Sell me Enfermo Amor.
Speaker 2:Why do I need to go see that you need to see Enfermo Amor, because it is a lot of fun, because it's nine stories that are speaking with about so many different perspectives of love, but through a light tone, but it's also deep and it's also something that you are gonna enjoy and, man, I don't know like it's gonna be at least one of these stories that is gonna you're gonna say, okay, I've been through that, so yeah.
Speaker 1:Ladies and gentlemen, ovidio de León, I appreciate you. Thank you so much for being with us today, man. Thank you, thank you, thank you, man. Thank you all so much for watching when Zay Zay met. Don't forget to like the video, subscribe to the channel and hit the bell to be notified when we upload more conversations with celebrities and other interesting people. Now, if you'd like to see your favorite celebrity on the show, it's simple Just tell us who that is by leaving us a comment down below. We hope you enjoyed today's episode and we'll see you on the next one. Hasta la próxima, no quiero del corazón.