Despite the fact that in the two roles he has played in television series (“To be or not to be” and “Elite”) his transsexuality has been central, the young actor Ander Puig hopes that this condition does not determine the rest of his career and that Soon they will consider him “as one more actor”.
This is what the 21-year-old interpreter (Barcelona, 2001), protagonist of “To be or not to be”, the series (RTVE and Mediapro) -recently released on the Playz platform- and one of the future new faces of the successful saga tells Efe Netflix’s “Elite” in its sixth season, which will presumably premiere next year.
In “To be or not to be”, Puig plays Ander, a teenager who has just transitioned and who faces the dilemmas of accepting himself. A role that has been very close to his own story and with which he wants to illuminate the path of other young people who may be in his situation.
Question: Joel’s was your first television role, what was it like getting under his skin?
Answer: It wasn’t too difficult for me because I knew pretty well what the character was dealing with. I understood it quite well from my personal experience and it didn’t cost me much. Yes, it is true that for me it was like doing a master’s degree in acting because I learned a lot of things.
Q: Joel finds almost no rejection or problem for having changed sex. Isn’t this an overly optimistic view?
A: I think that each case is different and each person has the family that they have. Some people are luckier than others. But it doesn’t seem optimistic to me, I think it should be like that. It is a case that is hard and you need support yes or yes, you cannot face this alone. There are many procedures in which you need support. Unfortunately it is not like that everywhere, but hopefully.
Q: Do you think that the series can help many young people who do not feel satisfied with their identity to take the step?
A: It can help these same kids who feel identified and the families who suffer because they don’t know how to accompany their children or are going through a stage of mourning for all this. It can help everyone who is involved. You can teach many people of many ages.
Q: And how do you feel about setting an example?
A: Very lucky, it’s amazing. I feel very good to be doing something that I really like, which is acting, and at the same time to be helping people who are going through something that I went through at the time. At the time I had a bad time and now I can help it not to be like that.
Q: In “Elite” you will also play a trans boy, to what extent do you want this to determine your career?
A: This is the big issue. I would very much like society, with these steps that we are taking, to see it as I see it, that I am just another actor and I am here because I like to act. It is true that now I have something to say and it is very positive because this way we are moving forward and I can help other people. But let us not forget that I really like to feel things and live them. That’s why I really like acting and learning. I feel very free doing this and it’s what I want to do. I am not a person who comes here just to say things about trans people, I go much further, I am an actor.
Q: And what has prompted you to put aside your fears and dare to make such important decisions from such a young age?
A: I am very scared sometimes. Yes, it is true that it takes a little courage to say that you are trans, but I am afraid. I think the experience I have lived has taught me a lot and I have grown a lot with it and I am very grateful. It has taught me to go to the point of things, that if I want something I have to do it myself. It has taught me that fear can be crossed, it is not a barrier that remains fixed.
Q: Speaking of big issues, in the series a lot of importance is given to “coming out”. Will true normalization not come when there is no need to speak publicly about these issues?
A: I understand you, but I think that first you have to do the other thing. We are not at the point of being normalized. It depends on the case. For example, I am now in a student flat and I have not told anyone that I am trans, but if one day the subject comes up I will tell them. But first you have to make it a little visible because there is still a lot of taboo there and you have to raise awareness.
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