Today, I had the opportunity to talk to actor and writer Manuel Gutierrez, who plays Rafael/Rafa, a lonely teenager with OCD who meets a masked man claiming to be a time traveller who goes by the name ‘Nobody’ in the sci-fi fantasy movie with psychological themes “Nadie está loco”/ “Nobody is Crazy.” The film is helmed by writer, director, and actor Federico Arioni, and which has been making the rounds in the festival circuit, recently screened at the Diorama International Film Festival and Market.
The young actor spoke to me about preparing for the role of Rafa, researching about mental health, and working with Federico Arioni—as well as what more we can expect from him in the future.
What attracted you to the role of Raphael and to this movie?
MG: I really liked the fact that I represented a marginalized sector of society and the challenge of learning the routine and behaviour of people like Rafael.
How was it working with Federico Arioni? Is this the first time that you two have worked together?
MG: Working with Federico Arioni is great. It is constant learning and his knowledge and passion for cinema makes everything easier and more fun. And he has a lot of patience and is very detailed in all aspects. I started working with him in 2013, filming his first film, called “Por un puñado de pesos,” where I performed in some scenes and helped behind the camera. Then I participated in several of his short films until he offered me the role of Rafael and I didn’t hesitate to say yes.
How did you go about preparing for the role of Raphael and did you face any challenges for the same? Particularly, I wished to know how you went about researching for the character and his mental illness, since OCD or any mental illness can be a rather sensitive topic to portray especially on-screen.
MG: For the role of Rafael, I prepared together with Federico Arioni who joined me to watch videos of behaviours of people with OCD. We also made short films with characters similar to Rafael to practice it. Federico was in charge of reading and investigating similar cases and conveying the knowledge to me.
Did you have any creative input into the script or other aspects of the movie, such as how you wanted Raphael to look, sound, etc.?
MG: I tried to not change Rafael much from how he was in the script, but once I began to familiarise myself with him, I could add new things to him, such as the constant restless movement of the hands with a feeling of discomfort, [and]the fact that he does not touch any objects that surround him nor does not look at people for a long time, thus giving off a sense of insecurity.
What was the most memorable scene for you to film or the most memorable line of dialogue which you cherished saying?
MG: The scene that I remember most is ‘scene 55’, the one in which we see a flashback (I’m not saying more in order to not give spoilers) but it’s the most memorable for me because it took us several days to be able to do it. Some days we had problems with the weather and others we didn’t finish what was planned, so for the production it was the famous “cursed scene 55.”
Do you have any future projects in the pipeline currently?
MG: We have future projects together with Federico Arioni—there are several short films to make, and before the pandemic Federico was about to start making a new film in which I have an acting role and I am very eager to do it.
That brings the curtains down on this interview with Manuel Gutierrez, but do check out “Nobody is Crazy’”at the ‘Diorama International Film Festival and Market 2020.’
