Natasha Dupeyrón – Verónica Castro Dramedy ‘Cuando Sea Joven’ (When I’m Young) Opens In U.S. Theaters

Cuando Sea Joven (When I’m Young), starring Natasha Dupeyrón and the iconic Verónica Castro, opens today in more than 300 U.S. theaters. The film, produced by Eugenio Derbez and Ben Odell’s 3Pas Studios, is being released in Spanish with English subtitles.

It also features a star-studded cast that includes Eduardo Santamaría (Buscando a Frida), Alejandra Barros (Buscando a Frida), Michael Ronda (Control Z), with special performances by Edgar Vivar (Chespirito, El Chavo del 8) and Manuel “Flaco” Ibañez (Hasta que el dinero nos separe) and a soundtrack that revives some of the best known and classic boleros.

In Cuando Sea Joven, 70-year-old Malena (Verónica Castro) gets a second chance at life and her dream to pursue a singing career when she magically becomes her 22-year-old self, portrayed by Dupeyrón. The younger actress poses as “Maria” to hide her true identity, and ends up as the lead singer of her grandson’s band.

Dupreyrón has had a lengthy career in telenovelas and movies. She most recently portrayed the obnoxious “Chiquis” in Netflix’s La Casa de las Flores (The House of Flowers), where she met Castro, and a beauty contestant in the Pantaya thriller “Señorita 89.” During an interview conducted in Spanish, she spoke about working on this film, her first to debut in movie screens across the U.S.

What did you like the most about playing the young version of Malena?

Well, I loved the whole process. The truth is that having this opportunity to become a 70-year-old woman was a lot of fun. I think I grew a lot as a person and as an actress. It taught me more empathy and it reaffirmed that studying and being sensitive to your work and dedicating time to it works….I think that this character also gave me the opportunity to explore singing boleros that I love and respect very much. I think it helped enrich my singing. I was very happy with the results.

What was it like working with Verónica Castro again?

I met her on the set of The House of Flowers and we became good friends. When I found out we were going to be working together in this film, I worried we probably woudn’t be on the same set, but in the end, we ended up literally sharing the same character and we talked a lot about where we wanted to take Malena. It was wonderful. She is an excellent actress, a great person and a great friend and partner. So, I’ll remember this experience with much love.

What is it like for you to portray different characters and personalities?

I try to fall in love with the character of the story and that makes me get excited. I do a lot of preparation before going on set. I think doing a lot of studying allows me to navigate different roles. I’ve learned to appreciate my work more, because I’ve grown to enjoy the process, I’m more present in the day to day of my work and I also put myself in other people’s shoes. It helps me greatly in giving life to the characters that I portray.

Is there a project in your career that you liked best or that you learned the most from?

The truth is that I’ve been lucky enough to be in projects that I learned a lot from. Señorita 89 was a very hard project for me to do in many ways, because of the subject matter. I am a feminist and an activist and talking about gender violence issues makes me uncomfortable and makes me reflect.

What are your expectations for the U.S. debut of this film?

I’m sure it’s going to do very well. I’m sure people are going to enjoy it very much. It’s a way to reconnect with Mexico, with the golden cinema era, with boleros, with Veronica Castro, with a very beautiful culture imbued in film. I think this film brings back to life beautiful music and it is a movie you can see as a family, which I think is important.