Criminals are often harrowingly perceived to be dangerous people who would ruthlessly do whatever it takes to defeat their enemies, obtain power and indulge their every corrupt desire. But once the public begins to delve into their private lives, in an effort to better understand why they make the decisions they do, the world begins to understand that these mobsters often feel that they’re not completely morally corrupt, as family is the most sacred thing to them. That powerful insight is grippingly presented in the thriller ‘Escobar: Paradise Lost,’ which marks the feature film writing and directorial debuts of actor Andrea Di Stefano. The drama emphasizes that the real-life title character, notorious Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, was also embraced by his family, including his niece the filmmaker created for the movie, who was played by up-and-coming actress Claudia Traisac, for the repeated efforts he made to protect them.
‘Escobar: Paradise Lost’ follows the infamous Pablo Escobar (Benicio Del Toro) as he gains support from his country’s citizens as a popular politician, before his illegal activities are publicly revealed. He generously provides for his family, including his niece, and indulges their every desire. Pablo further extends his support to Maria’s new boyfriend, Nick (Josh Hutcherson), a Canadian native who’s currently living and working on the Colombian beaches with his brother, Dylan (Brady Corbet). Nick is initially in awe of his new girlfriend’s uncle, as he donates just enough of his money to sustain the loyalty of the poor citizens in his area. Pablo is also launching a new clinic for his supporters when Nick first sees him.
When Maria officially introduces her new boyfriend to her uncle at his lavish birthday party, Nick fully begins to realize the full extent of the power Pablo has in the country. While the drug dealer is personable and charismatic when he meets his niece’s boyfriend, Nick begins to realize how dangerous Pablo can truly be to the people in his life. As Nick spends more time with Maria, and their relationship becomes so serious that they get married, he truly accepts the threat Pablo poses to them. However, she’s initially hesitant to accept that her uncle poses any harm to them. But she quickly changes her mind when the married couple’s lives are put into danger, as Pablo pushes Nick to help him hide as much of his drug money as possible before he turns himself in to the police for his crimes. The couple then frantically sets out to find a way to not only protect themselves from her powerful uncle, but find a way to finally leave Pablo’s world behind, once and for all.
Traisac generously took the time recently to talk about playing Maria in ‘Escobar: Paradise Lost’ over the phone. Among other things, the actress discussed how she was drawn to portray the title character’s niece in the film, because she’s such a strong character, and she was interested in collaborating with Di Stefano and the rest of the cast; how the fact that Di Stefano was an actor before he became a director was helpful to her on the set, because he knew how to best work with her on developing the character during rehearsals and on the set; and how she enjoyed working with both Del Toro and Hutcherson on the thriller, as they supported, and encouraged, her acting.
ShockYa (SY): You play Maria in the romance thriller, ‘Escobar: Paradise Lost.’ What was it about the character, as well as the script overall, that convinced you to take on the role?
Claudia Traisac (CT): Well, I sent in a taped audition in Spain, and ultimately did seven auditions for the role. I fell in love with the script and the character, who’s so strong, and it was a dream to become a part of a movie like this. I was so interested in the script that I fought for the role. I also loved Andrea when I met him, and he proved he’s such a good director. It was also amazing to be able to work with the rest of the film’s cast.
SY: Speaking of Andrea, he made his feature film writing and directorial debuts on the drama. What was the process of developing the character of Maria, as well as the overall story, with him, particularly since he was a first-time filmmaker?
CT: The process was really good, because he was an actor before he became a director, so he knows so much about acting. It was so helpful to have him on the set, because we worked on the character together in rehearsals, and he wanted everything to fully develop on the set. So I was in Panama, where we made the movie, about 15 or 20 days before we began shooting. I learned English, and also worked with a Colombian coach on the accent. We also worked on the love between Maria and Nick, and created a real chemistry for the screen.
Andrea was really supportive, and pushed me to do my best. That was so important, because this is my first movie. He always believed in me, so I was really able to relax with him on the set.
SY: What was the experience of starring in a fictionalized film of the title character, the Colombian criminal Pablo Escobar? What kind of research did you do into his life to help you better understand his life and family relationships as you were preparing to play Maria, who was his niece in the movie?
CT: Well, I’m from Spain, so I really had to learn about Columbia. I met Colombian families, so that I could learn their accent, which is really different from the Spanish accent. That was a hard process for me.
When I was in Panama, I tried to find Colombian families who knew about Pablo, because in the script, my character believed he was good. But once I began doing research on him, I realized it was negatively influencing my character, who believed he was doing these great things for Colombia. Pablo was a hero to Maria because he was seemingly helping the Colombian people, so I tried to make that as realistic as possible.
SY: While Maria is very close with her uncle and the rest of their family, she begins to question Pablo’s actions throughout the film, particularly after she marries Nick. What was the process of showing that change in her view of Pablo throughout the story?
CT: It was interesting, because I had to really focus on how she felt about about him. It was easy for me, because I was filming with Benicio on the first day. I was looking at him like, I admire this person so much, and now I’m working with him. The feeling was the same for Maria, in the way that she looked at her uncle. She had this naive perspective of him, and felt protected by him. At the same time, I also felt protected by Benicio and Andrea. It was a very protective environment, so it was really easy to get into those emotions.
Then the scene when Pablo was leaving was really painful to play, because I was so involved in playing the character. I was feeling the way Maria did, and then you have to see that everything she built was a lie. She gets destroyed by her uncle, which was really sad and dark. That was really great for me to play a change like that in my first movie.
SY: Speaking of the fact that Benicio plays Pablo, who is very protective of his niece, what was your experience of working with him on the drama, practically in chronicling their close relationship?
CT: It was really cool to work with him. He has always been one of my favorite actors, and I love ‘Traffic’ and every other movie he’s been in. So it was incredible to see him work. I would always try to watch him work everyday. It was nice to be able to get to know him while we were shooting. He was really focused on the character, but was also really collaborating with me. He made me feel confident and encouraged me to do my best. I was really grateful to be able to work with him.
SY: Josh Hutcherson played Maria’s husband Nick in ‘Escobar: Paradise Lost.’ What was the process of building your working relationship with him?
CT: It was really easy from the first moment we met. He was so pure, and also helped me from the first moment I met him. Everything developed really naturally between us, even though there was a language barrier between us. But it was also like that between Nick and Maria. It was really special to discover the love that Nick and Maria had for each other with Josh, because he was the best partner I could have. He was really humble, and a good actor. He was taking care of me in every moment.
SY: While the film is set in Colombia, it was actually filmed in Panama, like you mentioned earlier. What was your experience of shooting the drama in the different locations, from the beach where Maria and Nick met to her Uncle Pablo’s mansion, in Panama?
CT: It was great to film in Panama, because I had never left my country before the shoot. It was my first experience traveling to to the other side of the planet. Everything was so special, as it was a cool environment. There were so many people who were from so many different places. Even though we filmed in Panama, the shoot played a big part in discovering the Colombian and South America culture for me. It really helped everyone focus on the shoot.
SY: ‘Escobar: Paradise Lost’ had its world premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, and also screened at the 2014 Telluride Film Festival, San Sebastian Film Festival, Rome Film Festival and Zurich Film Festival. What was your experience of attending the screenings at the different festivals?
CT: It was an incredible process, because we brought it to so many places, including Rome, Spain and Toronto. I was nervous about it at first, but then I got used to it. I was so excited for everyone, especially my family and friends, to see the movie. It was an important event in my life, and I had so many experiences that I wouldn’t have had if I wasn’t in the movie.
SY: How have audiences reacted to the drama-have you received positive feedback?
CT: Yes, I have, but I would especially would love to be with audiences in Colombia when the film plays there, and see what they think. I hope they like it, but I’m sure they’ll be the most critical audience, because it’s something that they personally lived through. But the response in every city I’ve been to has been really good.
SY: Besides starring in films throughout your career, including ‘Escobar: Paradise Lost,’ you have also acted on such television series as ‘Cuéntame’ and ‘To Love is Forever.’ What is it about television that you enjoy starring on? How does acting on TV compare and contrast to starring in movies?
CT: Well, the processes are so different, because with movies, you have so much time more time to make the story personal. But I love acting in both movies and on television. The experience of making this film was so special, and it was such a great and personal experience to tell the whole story. But I also love working on TV, because you work on shows for a longer period of time, and really see how your characters change in every episode. You grow with your character to tell the whole story, and really bring it to life.
SY: Since Andrea was an actor before he ed ‘Escobar: Paradise Lost,’ is transitioning into directing also something you’d be interested in doing?
CT: I would love to also try directing. I want to act for a long time, but directing is also I would love to do in the future. You learn so much on the set as an actor, including how the equipment works, which will really be helpful to know as a director. So I want to gain as much knowledge and experience as an actress that I can before I try directing, but it’s something I do want to do in the future.
Written by: Karen Benardello