Celebrity Spotlight: Fernando Gaviria

Tell me about yourself and career.

Well, it is a bit difficult to describe myself but I can, in a few lines say, that I always wanted to be an actor since I was a child. It was not until I reached 23 years old, after graduating from school studying marketing and advertising and devoting myself to bodybuilding for a few years, that I knew that what I really wanted to do was act. That is when, in 1995, I decided to go to the United States, specifically to Miami, to study acting.

Tell me about The Whistler: Origins.

Well I am very excited that El Silbon is a story of the Venezuelan Llano that we heard from very young childhood in my country Venezuela and is a fable of Venezuelan/ Colombian folklore that nobody had ever done anything on this subject. Being a part of the first movie of this story for the world is a great privilege.

What is your role in the movie?

My character is Baudilio, the villain, who by which the whole curse begins in all his future generations. He is an abusive father, both physically and psychologically, to his only son after his beloved wife dies at birth. All of this happened after Baudilio told the village wizard that he wanted a son, after years of failed attempts, which the witch granted him by taking away his beloved. So after this event, he goes and kills the sorcerer, receiving a curse for eternity.

What attracted you to the role?

Well, what attracted me the most is the transformation of the character and it was a challenge for my position that I had to change both physically and mentally to become an abusive and bitter father. As the father I am, it was a great challenge, especially physically losing 10 kg and I changing my physical and mental appearance a lot.

What do you hope people like about the role?

That is difficult to say, because I think the public will definitely hate Baudilio but if that happens, I definitely did my job well.

What are some your favorite memories from filming?

Definitely returning to see my father after more than 20 years, and work on a movie where I am from, especially because I could visit many relatives that I have not seen in many years.

What else are you working on?

Right now waiting for the premiere of “The Dragon”, a series for Univision and then Netflix for USA on September 30, My character is Sandro and I am the right hand of the protagonist. “The Dragon” is ambitious series recorded in more than 10 countries from Japan to Morocco.

Tell me a fun fact about yourself?

I have been a writer for more than 10 years. To me, it is very easy to create a story from nothing…which seems very funny since many times my imagination leads me to really ridiculous things.

What are you Watching on TV these days?

I am definitely a Netflix guy. I can spend hours watching mostly documentaries but right now I am watching Dark 2. I love that series.

Anything else you want to share?

I am currently working on finding investors for my “Catrina” film that I want to direct. It would be my “Opera Prima” and also for my other INKED script that was a finalist in “Sundance Writers Lab” 2012 out of more than 4000 scripts. I hope soon to find investors or some A list actors that are interested in starring.