“I understood that I am an actress because I needed to be seen”

Flor Otero is fully rehearsing theater works. On the one hand, People, places and things, by Duncan MacMillan and directed by Julio Panno, at the Teatro Sarmiento; and on the other, the musical The little Prince. The actress and singer is happy and made time to chat with VIVA about your work, motherhood and love.

– Besides María Florencia, your name is Arcángela, does it have any meaning?

-Yes, the name has a whole story behind it and a certain mystique. They gave it to me for a special reason. I am sister number nine and last to be born. My brother, the eighth, passed away just before I was born. His name was Michael the Archangel and they called him Michael. And well, when I was born, in honor of him, they named me Arcángela. He is strong.

– You are in full swing: you are going to premiere two plays. Did you expect it?

-It was a year that seemed very difficult and I was very afraid about it. Luckily these two projects came up that I love and I’m very happy. One is People, places and things, which we premiere on the 29th, produces El San Martin with Club Media and the other, The little Princein the Opera, a work I did when I was a girl.

– You are 34 years old, was there a break when you turned thirty?

-I have been feeling the change since I was 28. But not like: “Uh, how old I am!” If not a more existential, deeper question. More philosophical questions arose: “What am I for?”

– Is it true that you suffered from eating problems?

-Yeah, I had some bulimia disorders as a teenager.. It is a complicated age and more so, working in this environment. I want to think that today people are more careful when giving their opinion about other people’s bodies, but back then a costume designer told me: “Well, you have to wear a bigger size.”’ And I thought: “Give me a size that fits me well.” There shouldn’t be a problem if I changed the size. I remember that at auditions they asked you for your weight. At 14 years old! Today there are comparisons on the networks, but at that time if you didn’t have the waist of Britney Spears or Cristina Aguilera you were a square. I didn’t want to show my body. It happens to me to this day. There you are relaxing in mesh on the beach and one appears that zooms in on you in the middle of the fret. It is necessary? Or friends and even colleagues who tell me: “Hey, you should get Botox now...” Ought? Because I should?

– You have been with Germán Tripel for 16 years. What made you fall in love with him?

-Many things. We met doing the musical RENT. It was finding in each other coincidences of looks from the world, of skin, of admiration. I love his intelligence, he’s very funny and on top of that he’s hot.

– In People, Places and Things you play an addict. How are you preparing the character?

-Playing an addict is a lot. The work is by Duncan Macmillan. It’s about an actress who is playing Seagull, by Chekhov, and collapses in the middle of the scene from drug abuse. From that, he enters rehabilitation. And there begins a game of forces that is her addiction, the health system and how she sees the world, religion and politics.. It is a very disruptive work and there is a lot of physical theater, which is what director Julio Panno proposes. It has a delicious dramaturgy and the cast is beautiful. Working for example with Beatriz Spelzini, whom I admire a lot, among others.

-How did being born after your brother’s death affect you?

–For a long time it was very screwed up for me: I felt like I was taking someone’s place, that it didn’t belong to me.. In fact, I once heard my mom say, “When I got pregnant again, I thought God was bringing me Michael, but well, it was Flor.” That was strong. Obviously she never said it to hurt me. But she was waiting a little for that miracle. It was hard because I slept in Michael’s crib and played with his toys. There was a lot of therapy and survival.

– Say the phrase that defines you

– Any other activities?

-I do harmonization with a harmonizer who also works with guided meditations and astrology. I like this a lot.

– You are the mother of Nina, 9 years old. What is the most difficult thing for you about that role?

-Deal with the guilt, I guess. The guilt of enjoying my job. Isn’t it ridiculous? By having such a good time at work, I feel like I’m taking time away from her for something I like. That’s why I analyze myself (Laughter). Same with Germán, what he will do School of Rock, We organize ourselves so that Nina is well. We put together a themed dressing room in each theater. And we also have Edu, my father-in-law, who is loving and his babysitter. They have a beautiful bond.

–RENTa musical that I love and that changed my life.

– Why did you decide to be an artist?

-The first one to start taking singing classes was my sister Marisol. My dad was against it, for him you had to sing in Church and if not you were a prostitute. Then my sister would run away and study singing secretly with the complicity of my mother. Until one day she had a show, she invited my dad and when he saw her talent and that he really liked her, she gave up. Marisol opened a door for us and we all came out. My brother Santiago started playing the piano; Nicolás, the guitar; Micaela, the sax. It was a house full of music. At one time I thought I had been an artist because of everything that art caused me, but later I understood that I actually wanted to attract attention. Look how many brothers I have! It was like, “Look at me, someone applaud me.” Up on the stage I would be a little higher and they would see me. That was the seed.

-Be a performing arts director. But I don’t want to start directing like many do. That exasperates me! I want to study a degree and that is why, among other things, I decided to finish high school. I did it when I grew up, at 26 years old, after becoming a mother. She also pursued a career as a voice actress.

– Any childhood habits?

-I’m kind of playful. To make nonsense. My love for DisneyI am very much from the time of Chiquititas, where we all wanted to be orphans because life was happier there. And my voice is childish. I notice it when I play with my daughter. I can calmly put myself on a level with her.

– A pending account?

–Have a place with my brothers, a kind of cultural center. We are similar to the Pearsons, the ones from the series This Is Us (laughs). The idea is a space where people who do not have resources can express themselves. Would be beautiful. It’s a move. Already agreeing to spend Christmas is a hassle, imagine opening a bar!