From comedian to businessman: Successes for Nelson Gudín

The inauguration on the 12th of the restaurant El Callejón del Tarro, by Nelson Gudín, the well-known "Bacán de la Vida," has been one of the topics of conversation we had when I "ambushed" him on Calle 8 in Little Havana.

Flor de Anís, Bacán, Urbinito, Mentepollo… who should I interview? Which of those characters has made you the happiest? Many comedians rely on just one character, why do you use several?

I clarify that Flor, Urbinito, and el Bacán have been interpreted by me and, although Mentepollo is a character created by me, he is portrayed by Carlos Gonzalvo. I prefer to respond to you as Nelson Gudín because the characters have their own nuances and other personalities, with ways of thinking independent of my own. The characters are "born" from me; they are created out of a creative need and all of them make me very happy.

I have created several characters and became known; I became popular because of the Bacán de la Vida. Although I had done others in theater, it was Bacán who launched me into popularity. Flor de Anís was created because there were things I wanted to say that gained greater dimension from a female perspective. With Urbinito, I wanted to connect with the Cuban peasant, very criollo, pure, who appears to be rudimentary but always has something to say. It's just that I am a guajiro. Moreover, they helped me portray a bit of my reality, the Cuban reality, the one I have always lived.

Everyone has their own particular way of expressing themselves, and well, here in Miami I have also created characters like Ismael, Lino, and they all continue to make me happy because I create humor not just to tell jokes, but because I have things to say.

From Pilón, in Granma, are you an artist, did you study art, could you consider yourself self-taught? Tell me about your literary passion that began in childhood and your love for theater.

Since Pilón, I was already involved in art; there we had a group of enthusiasts, and I wrote for the group and did dramatic theater, and yes, I am self-taught. Since I discovered theater, I have been passionate about the arts and literature and have not stopped studying; I learned to read with my dad before going to school and I haven't stopped since. As a teenager, I started writing for the humor that has to do with acting and theater.

Television welcomed you with open arms. What did TV mean to you? How difficult is it to do humor in a communist country, without freedom of expression? What did "Let me tell you" mean to you?

I arrived in Havana in 1997, and in 2000, I joined Cuban Television on the recommendation of [Osvaldo] Doimeadiós and Antolín el Pichón [Ángel García], and I contacted the director Julio Pulido. The first thing I did was the program “Fin de semana,” where the comedians from “Sabadazo” gathered, and I started writing.

Imagine, I worked for 14 years at Cuban Television, how many anecdotes could I have? I have many good ones and others... not so good! I was on "Deja que yo te cuente" for eight years and it was controversial because it reflected the reality of the people. It was, you must remember, rather a social critique and it was very difficult because we competed with programs from other countries that had super productions, and we had big problems with technology.

In addition to the censorship, which was substantial, if we didn't create a program where, at the very least, people could see themselves reflected, we wouldn't have an audience. Despite all that, I was happy with television because it educated me, taught me things, and I'm not going to say like many do: “I fought, I did things! No…!”. I was respectful and disciplined with the Cuban editorial policy just as I have been respectful and disciplined with the editorial policy of the channels here in Miami when I came to work.

I am not a producer, I am nothing; I am a worker and I comply with what the publisher I am working for establishes. I have been very clear about that my whole life. I consider myself a worker. Ah! On my social media, I say what I want and how I want, but when you are contracted, you have to abide by what is established at the television stations.

Here I was contracted for short periods, others for long periods, and so on, but nothing fixed, and I haven't been on television anymore. I have done things in theater, in clubs.

With Cuba's political system, it's very difficult to make television because it is heavily censored, and with what can be said, you have to create the news program, the soap opera, the music show, the comedy show... And this makes it very challenging; everything has to be blurred and left implicit, to be ironic, and they realized that. That's how I decided to "rest" the program "Deja que yo te cuente," which had been on the air for eight years.

We had a lot of difficulty working, we couldn't touch on many topics, resources were lacking, and I received a job offer abroad that I took advantage of. They didn't eliminate the program, then I wanted to return and they would give me evasive answers or call me to record a show, and that show wouldn't air or they would cut my part. This way, I realized that I was being censored; nobody told me, they just didn't give me work and when I did something, they would take it away… That's how things are done there!

Your literary awards and the humorous ones in Aquelarre…

There aren't many literary and humorous awards. When I was an amateur, I did receive several awards in theater over the years at festivals: best script, best staging. In literature, I won a poetry award for children; some regional poetry awards, but can I tell you something? The biggest prize has been the applause of the people and… well! In humor, I have received many recognitions, in the Aquelarres for example: acting awards, staging awards… and then, I didn't participate because I was part of the jury for many years. So, the love of the people, the admiration of the more specialized has been my greatest prize.

What made you leave Cuba, when did you arrive in Miami? What have you done, why this idea of the restaurant?

I had come to the United States about 20 times and I always came to perform in theaters and on television, always at América Tevé on channel 41. I worked with Carlos Otero, with Carlucho for long periods, writing and acting. I never wanted to stay because I had my young children in Cuba.

I am a Spanish citizen, and that allowed me to travel; moreover, my entire family could do so as well. I am very family-oriented; I am a country person, from a village. This is a very cosmopolitan country; it scared me, and I only came for a while. Four years ago, Carlucho called me for a channel he had, and I decided to settle here.

In total, I was already censored in Cuba, I had no job! Let me tell you that for the last two shows I had prepared on the island, the Minister of Culture came and suspended the performance, just like that!!

In other words, I didn't have a job in Cuba. I bought a plot of land and spent some time with my animals, my horses. Then, a job contract appeared in Miami, and I decided to leave and settle here.

Look, Julita, here one has to experience things, and that's why the idea of opening a restaurant. At first, I wanted to do it with a theater, but it's very difficult, and I didn't have the means to buy a theater; in fact, I rented a theater for a few months, and it didn't go so well, the number of people I needed to cover the expenses wasn't there, and someone came along who proposed the idea of the restaurant.

I know how to cook. This used to be a pizzeria, but I thought, "Better to make it a restaurant," and even though I'm not the one cooking, the recipes are from my grandmother who cooked wonderfully because she had the Spanish with the country-style flair, from my aunt who cooked very well, from my mom... and I hope people will like it!

I hope that people don’t experience what I do, where sometimes I go out to eat and my expectations aren’t met. I want this restaurant to feel like when you go to a Cuban home and eat, for example, some yuca with fried egg or tasajo with sweet potato or a chilindrón with that homemade flavor… and I aspire for people to enjoy the taste of home. I want us to do well, for it to become a family business, because I continue to act, but it’s when it comes up, and if the restaurant allows me to pay the bills and live, and people like it… well, that’s what will make me happy!

Do you consider Miami to be a graveyard for Cuban artists?

It all depends on the angle from which the artist sees it; I didn't come here to Hollywood with the intention of making movies or big productions, I came contracted to write and act in a television network, and I decided to stay, but that had an end.

Then other performances and scripts came up for me, but as is the case everywhere, artists are not fixed; the work is unstable. Whoever thought they were coming here to have the career of their life is screwed. Martí said: “I am art among the arts and in the mountain, I am mountain” and he also said: “Once the bread is earned, let the verse be made.”

First, we are human beings; I am first a family man, and my mission in life is to live, be happy, work, and fight. I came here with the goal of settling down and finding a job. I will always be an artist, even if I work in other roles. Being an artist is a condition; one is born with it, and even if I’m not on a stage, people will always call me an artist, whether I work in a movie, a show, or at a private party.

But I have also delivered packages for Amazon, done UBER, been a driver at a medical clinic... and I have also been happy and told the elderly people I transported: "I don't transport elderly people, I transport legends," because they told me so many stories. I was in ecstasy all day long, I got to know the city, I felt useful because I realized that I wouldn't starve here, because in Cuba working in television I used to say: "Oh my God!, if this program fails, what do I do?".

I can't grasp English; only two words to resolve. This is not our country; here we are welcomed. We just need to be respectful of the laws. This country is not great by chance; it has been built by the Americans because it is their country, and they have welcomed us.

So, we must be grateful and it doesn't have much to do with us, but it also has beautiful things like life, so I don't think it's the "cemetery of artists." We are going to die here just like in Cuba, but here there are opportunities for everyone.

In Cuba, I didn’t have a job and now with the situation there, the elderly are having a really hard time, all the artists must be suffering because there are few projects and things are getting tougher and tougher there, and whoever said that Miami is the "cemetery of artists" said it out of envy or to instill fear.

This is another world, full of possibilities. I have learned to love this; at first, I had a hard time, but when you adapt, you see the beautiful side and do things that you thought were unattainable. Here, whatever you set your mind to, you achieve, and that makes you happy, makes you great.

Why has no one thought of creating a Cuban television station in Miami, taking advantage of the artists, directors, producers, musicians, journalists, makeup artists, cameramen, editors, etc., etc., etc., who are already in this city? Would you take the plunge if you could?

Maybe someone has thought about it because there are very good engineers, cameramen, announcers, actors, and journalists here, but the thing is that television is very expensive and social media has put an end to television. I believe that the only television left with a real audience is American television because even the Latino channels no longer have good viewership like they used to.

They have started to lose audience because social networks have swallowed them; it's like walking around with a television in your hand everywhere, you can choose what really interests you: people prefer what is less polished and more immediate.

Television is falling behind; now what captures attention are the networks. Furthermore, people do not have time to sit down and watch a program. Even in Cuba, people look at their cell phones more than at television, except for older persons who do watch it, but not here. I myself do not watch television and I wouldn't even think of buying one, even if I had the money. At this moment, it doesn't work.

Family, here and there...

In Cuba, I have my oldest daughter and a six-year-old grandson, my siblings and my nephews, my great friends, my neighbors; my parents have passed away, but I still have many people I love. Here, I have my wife, my son, many friends who care about me, some fellow artists with whom we share the life of immigrants, of struggle, and sometimes we get together, have parties, and laugh.

One is divided, just as the world is divided, but one must be happy and feel proud when achieving things. And move forward and know that we are a large community that is everywhere and with many hopes, that good things can always come. And, finally, Julita, I want to thank you for thinking of me, for loving me and respecting me, which is mutual.

I hope to succeed in the restaurant and that those who come eat like at home; it's the slogan: "You eat like at home."